Expert: Dr. Paul Newhart - 11/10/2007

Question
first off my left shoulder is lower than my right when i rotate my left shoulder i can feel some grinding and cruching going on.i can take a deep breath and hold it and it hurts my back around the middle of my backto the left edge of my left shoulder blade,i cough,orsneeze and it hurts almost like being really sore.this has happened before but goes away it is starting to happen more often than it use to about 2to 3 times a year also if imove the wrong way my neck and shoulder will tighten up and i cannot turn my head because the tension is so tight.it is also uncomfortable to sleep in any position when this happens.

Answer
It sounds as if the muscles at the edge of the shoulder blade (Rhomboids), may be overly tight.  They will limit motion, leading to the crunching you feel.  Your head will not turn because of this tightness, as there are muscles that originate in the middle back that go into the neck.  You may want to check with a chiropractor to have the muscle issues addressed, and to have the alignment checked