I went to a physical medicine doctor yesterday, she said it is likely an irritated nerve and is sending me for an MRI to see if we can figure out exactly what is going on. She said possibilities are that my bra could be too tight, or I could have damaged something cracking my neck...although she said if that was it I would probably feel it down my arm as well....Also prescribed me a mild antiinflammatory which is helping in the meantime
Hrmph..the good old blame the bra trick...that doesnt account for the men who have the issue... and mine is near but not entirely on the strap area, but it isnt too tight. I think that is a "I dont know what I am looking at so I have to say something" kind of answer...lol I have a large amount of anti-inflamms a day for a separate issue and still have the same thing happening. Irritated nerve does sound like a 'good' name for it though. Def irritated! :P I am going to go see a dermatologist as soon as I can afford it. I hope your MRI gives you an answer and that it is, if anything, an easy fix. I look forward to hearing how it goes :)
Does anyone else experience occasional pain at the spot where it tingles? I sometimes start experiencing sharp pain at the spot. It starts off as mild discomfort, and builds up to sharp pain. I think it may be from sitting on an old reclining chair I have. Maybe sitting in it strains a back muscle, and most of the time it just tingles, and occasionally becomes painful. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
Ok, I was doing some research on shingles and I came across the following on dermnetnz.org (keep reading to the end if you haven't had shingles - it is not the only cause):
Post-herpetic neuralgia is defined as persistence or recurrence of pain more than a month after the onset of shingles. It becomes increasingly common with age affecting about a third of patients over 40 and is particularly likely if there is facial infection. The pain may be continuous and burning with increased sensitivity in the affected areas, or a spasmodic shooting type, or, rarely, of an itchy, crawling variety. The overlying skin is numb or exquisitely sensitive to touch. Sometimes, instead of pain, the neuralgia results in a persistent itch (neuropathic pruritus).
and the going to "neuropathic pruritus":
Pruritus and itch are synonymous terms. Pruritus is defined as an unpleasant sensation on the skin that provokes the desire to rub or scratch the area to obtain relief. Pruritus can cause discomfort and frustration; in severe cases it can lead to disturbed sleep, anxiety and depression. Constant scratching to obtain relief can damage the skin (excoriation, lichenification) and reduce its effectiveness as a major protective barrier.
and then to "Notalgia Paraesthetica" (One issue causing BACK itching or the medical term - Pruritus):
Notalgia paraesthetica is a condition where itch and/or changed sensation arise in the areas of skin just below the shoulder blade on either side of the back.
Visible changes arise from rubbing and scratching the affected area. These include hyperpigmentation (brown mark), hypopigmentation (white mark),lichen simplex (a type of eczema) and scarring. There may be changed sensation when this is tested for with pinprick, cotton wool or heat and cold.
Cause of notalgia paraestheticaThe nerves which supply sensation to the upper back emerge from the spinal cord (2nd to 6th thoracic segments) and run a long course up through the thick muscles of the back. They make a right-angled turn before reaching the skin. The nerves appear to be vulnerable to damage. This may be a minor injury, herpes zoster (shingles) or even sunburn. The result is itch and sometimes altered sensations.
Treatment of notalgia paraestheticaTreatment is not always successful. Effective measures may include the following:
Cooling lotions as required (camphor and menthol)Capsaicin cream - this depletes nerve endings of their chemical transmittersLocal anaesthetic creamsAmitriptyline tablets at nightTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)GabapentinBotulinum toxinPhototherapySo, this is what I have found out so far. It really clicked with my issue, I hope this helps others, at least give you a name to go see your family Doctor(s).
I think you're all talking about two very similar but very different syndromes. The first is a dermal sensation that is caused by a skin irritation irregularity i.e. Mole and or a precursor to Shingles. The second in very different caused primarily by repetitive motion strain continuous bending over for long periods of time. Pain in that region of the upper back is due to stress-strain. Without treatment i.e. rest time to heal and or Physical Therapy the injury begins to worsen and muscles in essence swell with continued strain this causes the initial pain and warmth to touch. Sometimes when muscles swell they can cut off nerve connections causing tingling and numbness. This was my experience and is in no way an umbrella for all the tingling everyone is feeling. Rest as in no lifting- bending at all and anti inflammatories cold compresses and after about two months later it was better. My Physical Therapist also said correcting my posture would build up the muscles in my back and prevent this in the future.
Hope this helps.
Sabrina
Hi Sabrina :) Thanks for that. Mine is very different to injury (of which I have had several to the back) I have seen my GP and she is tending to agree with my information I posted above. I am now trying Gabapentin. Gabapentin helps by "numbing" (or something) nerves that are not firing properly. It doesn't seem to affect normal-working nerves. I will keep updating if it works or not. Best of luck with your injury, I hope it heals quickly. All my injuries have never affected the skin or resulted in this god-awful crawling sensation and the hyper-sensitivity that is only relieved by hard scratching. Which is how the scarring or skin changes occur with those who suffer from this. It is unlike anything I have had before, even my psoriasis doesn't itch like this (and that can drive me nuts at times!!). Best and kindest regards. I wish you fast healing :)
Oh and I saw my Dr again today, she gave me an ointment called: ZOSTRIX Topical Analgesic Cream. It has CAPSAICIN .025%. It is better to wear disposable gloves when putting it on the area (no more than the area needed!). It can give a burning sensation, but that is because of the Chilli component. It does go away, but it is bearable. So far I have put it on twice today and whilst it has been on my "bad patch", it has helped quite a bit. No horrible crawling/itching! But once it started to wear off, it came back. The instructions say it takes about 2 weeks to take a full effect and you have to put it on 4 times a day. Fingers crossed, so far so good! :)
Has anyone else noticed it gets worse with stress? I swear, the instant I get stressful news or am asked to do something I'm not sure of, etc., a huge wave goes through and starts the tingling up
Hi Kerry, I have noticed that although it isn't injury related, when I am tense, I become even more aware of it as the numbness/weird sensation tends to spread and I have to constantly either apply pressure, or stretch it. Drives me nuts! I have been having some success with the capsaicin cream. It doesnt last a huge amount of time but it does numb the horrible crawling feeling. So thats great! :) All the best :)
This is amazing. I thought I was the only one. I still have no idea what it is, but for months now I've had the exact symptoms that I'm reading here. A single spot on my mid back, under my left shoulder-blade that tingles and itches, but feels kind of numb as well. Last night I had something happen that was very different. In the exact same spot, from out of nowhere, I felt an extrememe burning sensation (literally like a hot fire) that lasted about 3-5 seconds. The pain level was unbearable and I'm thankful that it went away, but now I'm paranoid that I will return. Extreme pain! I'm going to have it checked out on Monday.
It is amazing aye?! My Dr (and everyone else as well) thought I was losing the plot! It hurts, tingle, itches but is numb...yeah, makes alot of sense... Not! haha! Check out the cream I have mentioned above. It does help a little bit, at least it helps with most of the issues for a short time and gives a bit of relief! Good luck!
I have had a similar problem too. It is under my left shoulder blade. I have had this on and off for so many years I can't even remember when it started. Sometimes it itches, sometimes it tingles, and the last few years I have started feeling a hot shooting pain, like being stabbed with a hot needle. When I asked the dermatologist he told me it was just a nerve. I believe that because recently I have been getting the hot needle stabbing pains in random places all over, but especially in my feet. From what I could find out online this is a symptom of diabetes. Trouble is I have been checked several times and my blood sugar was fine. The pains are becoming so frequent I am going back to the doctor to have another blood sugar test.
Hi Barbie :) have you tried Gabapentin before? It is a medicine designed to dull damaged nerves. It might be an idea to talk to your Doctor about something like that, at least to trial,it for several weeks. And yep, def sounds similar to what I am experiencing at the moment, sharp, hot, stabbing pains coupled with sensitive/numb skin
Good luck!
Good luck!
Can't believe I'm reading this. I have had this tingling in my back, just below my left shoulder blade, but almost in the middle of my back for about 4 weeks now. It's really starting to bother me. I did a quick google and found this. Can't believe so many people have the same thing but nobody knows what it is.
All,
I posted an earlier reply about this issue. I have had it for 10 years and am pretty confident I know what it is. The issue is lower trapezius or Rhomboid muscle weakness at the base of the scapula (shoulder blade). In my case it is lower trapezius weakness at the exact same spot where the tingling occurs. I know this by doing specific lower trap exercises and the good muscle ache is in the exact spot as my tingling with nothing on the other side. Over time I have also seen improvements in my condition.
I am not a physiology expert but to me this feels like a weak/strained/overworked muscle in the scapula stabiliser group.
I know everyone on here is expecting this to be a really intriguing medical issue but I simply think it is the classic case of a weak posture muscle probably caused by modern life, e.g. desk sitting, laptop sitting. The shoulders are raised over long periods of time, which brings the scapula upwards and puts pressure on the muscles in the mid back that are there to keep the scapula down. Over time these muscles get weak and start to lose the battles and this is when the tingling occurs.
I have been specifically training these lower trap muscles and rhomboids for the last 2 months and can hand on heart say I have not had a serious tingling flare up in that time. Before this I would get the issue a few times a week sometimes descending to daily or all the time.
Happy to provide details if people want? There is one exercise that can be seen on you tube that you can try and within 20 mins you will be able to tell if it is working on the spot where your tingling occurs.
Cheers,
Glenn