[BrokenArrows]

Hello,

My wife herniated a disc at T8-9 in 2005 that caused permanent, severe shoulder blade pain and has caused her to stop working.

She recently had a facet block done to her cervical spin because her doctor though the pain may be coming from there. It wasn't. It's definitely the thoracic area, but the doctor says he won't do a facet block there because he feels it's useless. The facet block was going to be a prelude to a thoracic rhizotomy which could have helped -- but he won't do that either. He says it's impossible to properly center in on the nerves in that area.

Has anyone had a thoracic facet block done with any success? Or a rhizotomy in that area?

I'll also add here that she's had several epidural injections which temporarily (and seemed to also reduce the cumulative level of pain, but not enough for her to live a normal life).

Any info or doctors names would be very much appreciated (we're in Maryland). The doc is not being helpful.

[(Broken Wings)]

Welcome to you both,

It's good you found NT. There's lots of info here that may help you both.

I had some injections that did help and some that did not. I tried. They tried. That's just the way it is sometimes.

Four years is a pretty good journey. Sorry she's still not got a good plan right now.

There's many tips about my scapula and shoulder blades I used that helped ease my discomfort some. Kinesio tape to stabilize my posture and pull my shoulders back without using a brace. Kinesio tape across my scapulas to stabilize also. Lidoderm 5% patches - non-narcotic analgesic-theyhave Flector now. It has an anti-inflammatory in that patch. Miracle Balls to release trigger points, TheraCane to use on trigger points, oversized tennis balls (Wal-Mart) BackMagic adjustable board, rolled up towel, vertical with my spine, laying on my back and towel and slowly bringing my arms in front of my chest and back down it a T form. Hairdryer on a stand.

Medications as I would need those too, prescription and OTC. Advil Liquigels are great. You have to do what you have to do. I know there's always a trade, but you have to progress so you can get to another point of recovery.

LED and infrared light therapy pads. Helped me tremendously. Aqua therapy, the warm jets helped the muscle spasms. Keeping my upper body fleece warm. I look ridicilous at times, but I'm not in as much pain. Hot showers. Many, many things I've tried. Some gave me lots of relief and some did not. I've acquired things like reachers and grabbers/gopher, EasyTouch can opener.

Drinking lots of water helps. These days Tylenol Nighttime is helping me achieve a couple more hours sleep. I need that so much. I can get through the demands of the day a lot better with sleep. oh, all kinds of pillows. Snuggies... yoga. I'm wanting to learn tai chi now. It's good for the body.

Water, water, water. Vitamin supplements, after you've read up on them. I take B12s, C, D, E, L-Lysine, Fish Oil, Luetin, Folic Acid... check with your doc if you're not comfortable with what you know about them.

Just a few things to think about. I'm sure you've tried lots of things you can share with us.

No question is to silly here. We'll try to help her in any way can.

See you around the board.

[BrokenArrows]

Thanks for your reply, BrokenWings. Reading your treatments is like taking a walk down memory lane. We've tried almost all of them. We were hoping to do something more aggressive now, since the epidural shots are the only thing that seemd to permanently help. But I will look into the infrared light therapy pads, which about the only thing she hasn't tried.

[mrsD]

I just found this post....

I wonder, have you tried ice on it instead of heat?

I've had good luck with my pinched nerves using ice.

One chiropractor told me heat stimulates nerves. Ice numbs them.

A cold pack for 15-20 min on it twice a day may help.

Also have you tried Lidoderm patches? I've used them for
several different nerve pains over the years with good success.

[BrokenArrows]

Thanks for your reply, Mrs. D. She tried cold when heat didn't work. We still have a freezer full of cold packs. We also tried Lidoderm patches. And there was even a hot pepper lotion we tried that no one has mentioned. This is what we started with in 05-06 whne the problem happened.

None of this helped. We're looking at more invasive approaches, as I said, which will include facet blocks of T6-10 and a rhizotomy of whichever nervs seem to be the problem. We'd like to know if anyone has gone this route with any success. Our pain doc said "no," but I've read of people having this done. I just want to hear firsthand about it.

[mrsD]

Did you use the Lidoderms every day for a while?

Sometimes they take a few days to get going.

I had to use mine for 2 weeks before my nerve in my leg went to sleep.

[mmorgan69@cox.net]

I just had my facet joint rhizotomy done last Wednesday (11-4-09), following a series of injections that did bring wonderful pain relief, but always with side effects from steroids and not for long enough to make it worth the procedure every few months (causes me to miss large quantities of work).

My pain specialist had no qualms doing the procedure in the thoracic once he was comfortable the correct nerves were identified. I'm not sure yet how well it will work, as I just had it done, but so far my spine feels much better. The pain in my back is muscle pain from procedure vs the pain from the spine previous to having it done.

Good luck, I sincerely hope you find a doctor who can help you with this.

[BrokenArrows]

MMorgan69,

Thanks for the information. It's very helpdul. I sent you an e-mail. Maybe you can tell me who the doctor is that did the thoracic facet block. As I mentioned in my original post, my wife's pain management doctor refused to do it. Any direction would be helpful and appreciated.

Thanks again!

[gemini_jan]

Originally Posted by BrokenArrows

Hello,

My wife herniated a disc at T8-9 in 2005 that caused permanent, severe shoulder blade pain and has caused her to stop working.

She recently had a facet block done to her cervical spin because her doctor though the pain may be coming from there. It wasn't. It's definitely the thoracic area, but the doctor says he won't do a facet block there because he feels it's useless. The facet block was going to be a prelude to a thoracic rhizotomy which could have helped -- but he won't do that either. He says it's impossible to properly center in on the nerves in that area.

Has anyone had a thoracic facet block done with any success? Or a rhizotomy in that area?

I'll also add here that she's had several epidural injections which temporarily (and seemed to also reduce the cumulative level of pain, but not enough for her to live a normal life).

Any info or doctors names would be very much appreciated (we're in Maryland). The doc is not being helpful.

Hi I live in Western Australia and I have had thoracic rhizotomy done 2 times the pain relief lasted 12 months and I have just had it repeated last week. It is the only treatment that has worked for me. Keep trying to find a Doctor that will help you it will be worth it. Good luck

[PPNH]

I'm a masseuse who has been in private practice for 23 years and I know about severe under the shoulder blade pain. This is a common problem and I know the pain can be excruciating. First let me explain what's going on, where, and what you can do to relieve the pain. It's really quite simple.

What you have is called an active trigger point. The reason it's difficult to get at is because it's located in the serratus posterior superior muscle and the trigger point is under the shoulder blade. If you have a masseuse work on this problem you must lay on your side so your arm hangs forward so your scapula (shoulder blade) moves out of the way.

You can relieve the pain yourself by laying on a tennis or golf ball while you lay on your back on the floor with your knees bent. Your arm must be positioned across your chest so your shoulder blade moves out of the way. Place the balls underneath the sore spot and let your body weight add the pressure.

I shared my knowledge on this specific problem in another blog and people responded with great enthusiasm. Many had been in pain for years and had been to numerous specialists and had all the tests but to no avail. But when they targeted the active trigger point with tennis balls the relief was immediate. Some people stood against the wall and applied the tennis balls and one person did it in the shower. Moist heat (the most penetrating) is a good idea and in my practice I use a moist heating pad with a damp face cloth.

Remember to place your arm across your body to move the shoulder blade out of the way.