A slight pain or stiffness in the upper back is common for many these days. Besides poor posture, this can also be attributed to strained muscles resulting from a typical workday, be it a desk job or those involving moderate to heavy lifting. While the pain may subside either naturally or through mild painkillers and analgesic gels, these minor niggles could become chronic over time, straining the rhomboid muscles and causing pain. This, in turn, could offset posture, cause shoulder injuries and disrupt the upper body kinetic chain (a concept based on interrelated parts of the body working together to perform movement).
Pain in the rhomboid muscles typically appears a couple of days after they get strained. The injury, which can affect both active and sedentary people alike, is also prevalent among athletes, where the rhomboid muscles are constantly engaged.
What are rhomboid muscles?
The rhomboids are a muscle group (which includes the rhomboid major and minor) located beneath the trapezius muscles in the back. Along with other muscles, they form the shoulder girdle and play an important role in stabilising the shoulder girdle and scapula during upper limb movements.
While retracting, the rhomboids elevate and rotate the scapula. They also protract and keep the medial border of the scapula at the posterior thoracic wall.
What causes rhomboid muscle pain?
“The main reason for pain in the rhomboids could be a sudden pull or strain on the muscles,” says Gayathri Mahalingam, a consultant physiotherapist from Bengaluru. “Rhomboids are the major muscles for shoulder retraction, which makes them vulnerable to strain. Pain in the rhomboids may arise if movements engaging these muscles, such as lifting something heavy overhead or pushing a door behind the body, are executed at incorrect angles.”
She further explains, “Strained or weak muscles will eventually lead to protracted shoulders. There will be constant pain with or without any activity, and delaying treatment may result in the development of rounded shoulder joints.”
If the condition escalates, other muscles in the shoulder joints start overworking, which causes pain in the shoulders. “A light spasm is felt in the diaphragm, which can be misinterpreted as chest pain,” adds Mahalingam.
Treating rhomboid pain
Maintaining proper posture is the most essential aspect of treatment. If someone is lifting something overhead, they should be mindful about keeping the shoulders and elbows at 90 degrees to ensure equal weight distribution.
If the pain results from repetitive strain which causes trigger points to flare up, myofascial therapy is applied either through dry needling or manual therapy. This can be followed by strengthening exercises that engage the rhomboids, including rowing, pull-ups and lat pull-downs.
In addition, icing the area can help ease the pain. It can be done for 10 minutes on either side, three or four times a day. If the pain becomes severe, contrast treatment can be administered, where icing the area for 10 minutes is immediately followed by applying a hot pack for the same amount of time. It is important to resolve the pain before returning to regular training or physical activities that engage the rhomboids.
Takeaways
- The rhomboid muscles, vital for upper body movement, can get strained due to poor posture or overuse, causing discomfort and pain.
- The pain usually appears a couple of days after the muscles get strained, and delaying treatment can cause postural issues, shoulder pain and rounded shoulders.
- Myofascial therapy through dry needling or manual therapy can be applied to release the trigger points.
- The pain must be resolved before returning to physical activities involving the rhomboids.
