Spent years thinking my “pain between shoulder blades” was just tight muscles.
Turned out my right shoulder had gradually rolled forward over years of carpentry work, training, driving, desk time etc. My upper back was basically constantly trying to stabilise a bad position.
Symptoms I had:
- burning between shoulder blades
- tight upper traps
- shoulder pain radiating down arm
- neck stiffness
- headaches
- one shoulder visibly higher/rounder
What surprised me most is that massaging the painful spot itself barely helped long term.
The biggest improvements actually came from:
- improving thoracic movement
- scapular control work
- chin tuck work
- serratus activation
- isometric overhead work
- handstand progressions against a wall
I know posture stuff gets mocked online sometimes, but in my case changing the mechanics absolutely changed the pain levels.
Interested to know if anyone else here has had upper back pain linked to one shoulder rolling forward?
Posted May 10, 2026, 2:07 PM UTC
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