Do you have burning in your back between your shoulder blade and spine? That area has a muscle called the rhomboid.
It gets blamed for pain all the time but it is usually NOT the muscle at fault! Poor rhomboid.
Rhomboid area pain is typically caused by that area being over-stretched. The burning is a symptom. You have to figure out the cause and get rid of it.
Your neck could be involved if the scalene muscles on the side of your neck are causing you to have a ‘knot’ in your back. The scalene muscles in your neck can have trigger points that cause burning in the rhomboid area or knots in your back but the burning can also be caused by simple mechanical over-stretch.
If you strengthen the muscles in the back of your neck, back and thighs and stretch and lengthen the muscles in the front of your body from knees to chin, you will be working to re-balance your body. This is good!
Since there is an excellent chance that the muscles in the front of your body are too strong and tight and short already, they don‘t need strengthening. They need lengthening.
There are ways to sit more comfortably at the computer so you don’t over-stretch your rhomboid area.
Using a mouse? Try this:
1. Switch hands. It really can be done. 
2. Bring your elbow closer to your waist when you work–no stretching. Stretching aggravates muscle in the rhomboid area–it gets overstretched and complains.
3. No slouching. A strong back will help prevent slouching.
4. Using a laptop? Get a separate monitor or keyboard so you can work more ergonomically.
A foam roller or roll made of a long towel or piece of carpet is excellent for laying on to allow you to stretch and lengthen the muscles in the front of your chest and arm. If it’s narrow enough for you to lay on long-ways (with the full length of your spine and head on it) you can also use it as a tool to squeeze your shoulder blades against. That will help strengthen the muscles between your shoulder blade and spine. Then those muscles can better hold their own against being over-stretched.
If you need more self-help ideas and ways to treat the knots in your back,<– click here.
Taking these actions can help to get rid of this nasty ache in your rhomboid.
Tags: burning rhomboid, how to get rid of rhomboid, Kathryn Merrow, knot in rhomboid, pain in rhomboid
I have a pain on my side right under my rib cage and i get a really bad pain when ever I breathe in and its constintly doing this for about 3 days no
any suggestions please ??
Hi Rayleen,
Thank you for writing. There is a rather wide muscle that crosses the body called the diaphragm. It is a breathing muscle and it causes hiccups when it contracts. Maybe it is that muscle or other muscles that are in the area. But that is also the area of your liver and gallbladder. It’s also possible that the tissue around your lung is irritated.
Just in case this could be a medical issue you should have a doctor check it. If he finds nothing, that’s great because then it most likely will end up being muscle-related. Sorry I wasn’t more help with this pain on your right side under your ribs.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Thank you for your help, its really a helpful website.
Thank you, Rayleen. It is my pleasure to be able to help and I appreciate your kindness.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Hiii gud day i m mithilesh 29 yrs 72 kg 172 cm ht . I have muscle pain in my chest as well as in my upper back also . I did ECG & X Ray but everything is normal . i feel the pain in my bones . i started exercise in the morning but 1 – 2 days the pain increased i stopped exrcise . Kinldy advise me the cause & treatment
Thnks & best regds
Mithilesh
Hi Mithilesh,
Thank you for writing. When your tests come back normal that is a good thing. That almost always means that the pain is caused by muscles. Muscles are the most common cause of pain.
Exercise can also cause muscle pain. When you start a movement program or exercise program, start very slowly so you muscles can get used to it. Otherwise your muscles get overworked and will complain. Over several days you can start to add a little more movement. Eventually you will be on a full exercise program without pain.
There are muscles in your chest. The good news about that is we can massage our own rib and chest muscles!
Start pressing into the areas of muscle that you can reach. Press with your hands or flat fingers. If they are tender, that means they need some pressure or massage. Hold a tender area for about 12 seconds.
Chest muscles get short and tight just because of the way we live and work. And short chest muscles are often the cause of back pain. Chest muscles and muscles in the fronts of arms can also benefit from stretching.
Sometimes pain feels like it is in bones but that is because muscles cross over joints and pull on bones.
I hope this will help you get rid of the pain in your chest and upper back.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach