Expert: Gerald Anzalone, D.C. - 9/21/2009

Question
I have been experiencing pain under and surrounding my shoulder blades since i hurt my back in a accident.I was diagnosed with a herniated disk in my lower back(got an MRI to confirm). I went to a doctor about a week ago and he thought i was imagining the pain in my upper back, but i know im not and well I have an appointment this week but I just thought any other suggestions or answers would be nice, because no one knows whats causing the pain.
By the way I was 13 when it happened and im now 14. The accident happened 6 months ago.

Answer
James,

Thanks for your question.

Herniated discs in the lower back (or lumbar spine) do not refer pain to the shoulder blades. Pain in the shoulder blade region may be referred pain from a myofascial trigger point (a tender, pain-producing nodule in a tight band of muscle) or from a disc herniation in the neck (or cervical spine).

While an MRI scan is the best imaging modality to use for diagnosing herniated discs, much of the research has shown that they are a fairly common finding, and may not necessarily be the cause of someone's pain. A disc herniation on an MRI scan has to correlated to the patient's overall clinical picture.

I hope that this helps to answer your question.