What causes sharp pain behind the shoulder blade?
Patient: Hi. I have had a sharp pain that is located behind my left shoulder blade and sometimes travels down my left arm. It acts up the most when I am sitting at my desk at work and gets worse as the day goes on until I get home to rest. It does not hurt when I am sleeping. I m thinking a pinched nerve. I had this problem 2 years ago. I went to get checked and x-rays showed nothing. It went away after a few months and last year I was fine. Now it s back. Please help Doctor: Hello and Welcome to 'Ask A Doctor' service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.Considering the fact that you had this shoulder pain two years ago, that you have it during your work sitting at the table, and it gets worse as the day goes on. In my opinion your complaints might be related to a cervical pinched nerve due to a disk herniation, or it might be related to rotator cuff problem on the shoulder joint.These problems both are commonly accompained by shoulder pain that radiates to the arm or hand, and it gets worse by bad posture.To put the right diagnosis you should consult a doctor for a physical examination, and MRI is the best examination to diagnose this problems.For pain relief you can try taking Naproxen , (antiinflammatory drug) daily.Exercises and physical therapy also help and try to keep a good posture during your work.Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.