Short and sweet

Thin, flat, and triangle-like, the scapula is located in the upper back and is considered one of the most important components of the shoulder. The scapula, also called shoulder blade, makes the connection between the clavicle and the arm bone, allowing the shoulders a wide range of motion.

What causes shoulder blade pain?

Many factors can cause shoulder blade pain, which many people mistake for back pain. A common cause for scapula pain are muscle contractures or muscle “tightness,” though exposure to intense cold can also trigger it.
However, in some less common conditions, shoulder pain indicates much more serious illnesses. What’s more, sometimes the pain in the scapula comes from a different source, like a nearby bone, muscle or tissue.
Other causes include factors such as carrying heavy loads, sleeping in inappropriate positions, accidents that damage the bone, infections, and even illness or injury to nearby organs (lung, stomach, heart, etc.).
Some believe that ongoing stress can also be manifested as shoulder pain.

What does scapula pain feel like?

Scapula pain sometimes radiates to the neck and hands, and of course, to the shoulders themselves. Pain in the scapula can be generalized or focused, segmented or dull. In some cases, pain is exacerbated when performing certain movements of the hands or shoulders.

How is scapula pain diagnosed?

Your doctor will try to rule out the presence of other diseases or medical conditions (some severe), that show up as shoulder pain. To do this, they may order imaging or diagnostic depending on your symptoms.

Is scapula pain dangerous?

As mentioned above, during particularly severe pain, a medical examination must be taken to rule out other health conditions.

How is scapula pain treated? Can advanced technology help?

When severe problems have been ruled out, shoulder pain treatment will include mild stretching exercises, professional massages, immobilizing the painful area, moderate rest, pain relievers, and more. In some situations, you will be advised to do physical therapy, where you will learn to perform exercises designed for muscle relaxation and strengthening.
At-home pain management technologies can also help. One of the best of its kind is “Solio,” a lightweight, simple and user-friendly device. “Solio” uses radio waves that allow for the treatment to penetrate deep inside the tissues. Solio handles a large range of pain (but not all of them, of course. Please refer to the Consumer Newsletter or the information on this site for more information). When you use Solio, you can feel the pain healing process thanks to the combination of technologies and the sense of warmth that penetrates deep inside the shoulder blades.

How is shoulder pain treated with “Solio Alfa Cure Plus”?

Pain in the shoulder and shoulder blade area may radiate from the neck area. In such cases, it is not necessary to treat the shoulder blades / shoulders, but only the neck area.

In the picture you can see a division into shoulder and shoulder blade treatment areas.

1 – Shoulder joint area

2 – Upper shoulder blade

3 – Lower shoulder blade

Method of treatment: apply a thin layer of gel on the device, place it on the area being treated and start sliding the device over the entire treatment area shown in the picture for 15-20 minutes once a day per area. Treatment with the device at level 3 (you must watch the instructional video before using the device for the first time). If you feel excessive heat during the treatment, you can slightly increase the treatment area so that the heat is distributed over a larger area.

It is necessary to keep treatment up once a day in order to benefit from the optimal result from the treatment.  Do not stand still in one place. Maintain steady, slow movement throughout the entire duration of the treatment.

Please note that the treatment time refers to one area only. The treatment time should not be divided between two or more areas as this will reduce efficiency of the treatment.

If the pain does not originate from the neck area, the shoulder or shoulder blade should be treated. There are a number of cases (especially in the shoulder area) in which the pain is felt in a certain area, while a different area needs to be treated. For example, many people suffer from pain in the shoulder joint area (1) when the area that needs to be treated is the shoulder blade (2), in other cases, some people suffer from pain in the shoulder blade area (2) while the area that needs to be treated is the lower shoulder blade (3).

How do you know which area to treat? Start in the painful area (for example shoulder joint 1), do at least 5 treatments. If there is relief, continue treating the same area. If no relief is obtained after 5 treatments, move to the adjacent area (2).

If the pain comes from the direction of the shoulder blade, start in zone 2 and if there is no relief after 5 treatments, move to zone 3.

Another option is to get a professional diagnosis by a physiotherapist who knows how to target the exact area for treatment. We work in cooperation with a large number of leading physiotherapy institutes in Israel and will always be happy to recommend a professional physiotherapist who can diagnose you (fees to be paid directly to the physiotherapy institute).

Coordination of expectations: Once you locate the correct and most effective area for the treatment, you will feel relief after 3-6 treatments. Treatment should be continued until the pain is reduced.

It is also important to take care to rest the treated area during the treatment days and to avoid overload on the area

How can I avoid shoulder blade pain in the future?

Maintaining a proper posture will help you prevent shoulder blade injuries in the future.

Stop the pain now with Solio – the only pain-relieving radio wave technology device.