Shoulder Pain???

[Anonymous]

I am 32 weeks pregnant and just started having severe upper back pain this week, concentrated under my shoulder blades. It only happens when I am laying down to sleep. After about 2-4 hours, I wake up and my whole upper back feels like it is locked up-- the pain is unbearable and the only way that I can make it subside is to sit for an hour with heating pad on HIGH on my back. The pain is mostly on my left side, which is the side that I sleep on, so I think it might just be extra weight/pressure from the baby? My MD said to take Tylenol (which doesn't really help) and to sleep with a pillow behind my back and between my legs (which I already do) but the problem persists. Has anyone had this problem and tried PT or prenatal massage? Does it work? Or do I just need to endure this torture for 8 more weeks? I've heard back pain is common in pregnancy, but I had not anticipated pain this intense. Last night, I thought I was going to throw up because it hurt so much.

[Anonymous]

I"m not a doc, so ask. And I don't mean to freak you out, but I would definitely get checked.

If you have an epidural, uterine pain is translated as shoulder pain. Shoulder pain is a sign of a ruptured uterus during labor (multiple anesthesiologists in my family and I"ve heard the stories). Of course, this is somethign that requires immediate attention - it doesn't come and go and last for weeks.

If your uterus doesn't have any pain, this is probably just a shoulder thing. But I would ask your doc for a bit more specifics just incase.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure if you will find this response helpful but here goes. At about 32 weeks, I developed an excrutiating pain on one side of my sacrum (tail bone area). The pain was so intense that I could no longer walk, I limped. I could hardly turn over in bed. The doctor gave me the same old speal about the pillows during sleep and elevating my feet when I could. I did seek out massage which provided temporary relief which I was grateful for but the pain would reoccur the next day. I never sought out PT because it would have to be paid for out-of-pocket. I did ice and heat the area several times daily. Then the strangest thing happened. At about 35 weeks, the pain just disappeared. I'm not sure if the baby shifted, but the pain was suddenly gone. What I did learn during labor was that that same spot could not be adequately numbed with an epidural despite numerous attempts. I later learned that my DS was positioned cock-eyed.

I hope your pain abates soon- hang in there!

[Anonymous]

You definitely need to get this checked out. I have had referred should pain before -- in my case it was in the shoulder itself, not the shoulder blade. However, referred shoulder pain can be a sign of pre-eclampsia. Did you just talk to your OB over the phone, or did you go in for a visit. If you went in for a visit and they took your BP, then it isn't pre-eclampsia.

On the flip side, I did find at the end of both of my pregnancies that my back would begin to ache while sleeping. During my 1st pregnancy, DH and I made an emergency trip to the La-Z-Boy store and bought a recliner off the floor. I slept in that for the last few weeks of both my pregnancies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You definitely need to get this checked out. I have had referred should pain before -- in my case it was in the shoulder itself, not the shoulder blade. However, referred shoulder pain can be a sign of pre-eclampsia. Did you just talk to your OB over the phone, or did you go in for a visit. If you went in for a visit and they took your BP, then it isn't pre-eclampsia.

On the flip side, I did find at the end of both of my pregnancies that my back would begin to ache while sleeping. During my 1st pregnancy, DH and I made an emergency trip to the La-Z-Boy store and bought a recliner off the floor. I slept in that for the last few weeks of both my pregnancies.

Preeclampsia is linked to right shoulder pain and hers is mostly left and at least bilateral.

I had severe left shoulder blade pain toward the end of my pregnancy too. A chiropractor helped some. It went away after I delivered. Like you, I think it was linked to sleeping heavily on my left side and in a way that is just hard on the shoulder.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the advice. My doctor did check it out, but said everything was normal and that half of all women develop back pain in pregnancy for no reason other than your joints are getting looser and your frame is not used to carrying so much weight around. My pain is definitely linked to the way I sleep because I don't have pain during the rest of the day anywhere, and it goes away at night when I move to sleeping in a chair vs. laying down. (But then I wake up with a stiff neck-- err...) I hate to whine more to my doctor if there really is nothing that can be done-- but if PT or massage helps, then I might ask for a referral. Just wondering if anyone else had any success??? I can see why people say the last trimester goes so slowly!