Muscles
Rhomboid Trigger Points
Symptom Area: Torso
Rhomboid Trigger Points are explored here through their location and referred pain pattern. Muscle knots is an everyday term used for tender muscular spots; myofascial pain describes pain involving muscle and its surrounding connective tissue. Retracts and downwardly rotates the scapula.
Where you feel it
When the Rhomboid holds active trigger points, you usually notice it as mid-thoracic back pain. Where the pain spreads: Superficial ache between the scapulae, often described as 'burning' along the medial border. What often sets it off: Prolonged forward reaching, rounded shoulders, stress posture.
Overview
Retracts and downwardly rotates the scapula. Trigger points here are common in everyday and athletic populations and frequently contribute to the referred pain patterns described below.
Trigger point locations
Between the scapular vertebral border and the thoracic spinous processes.
Referred pain pattern
Superficial ache between the scapulae, often described as 'burning' along the medial border.
Palpation & testing
Palpate the muscle belly along its accessible course. Reproduction of the patient's familiar pain on palpation supports involvement.
Common causes
Prolonged forward reaching, rounded shoulders, stress posture.
Self-care & clinical treatment
Scapular setting drills, pec stretching. Clinically: needling, manual release.
Treatment protocol
For Rhomboid, the general protocol applies: sustained pressure release on the taut band, then stretch and active movement in the newly gained range.
Position and palpation: Palpate the muscle belly along its accessible course.
Regional precaution for clinicians: Over the rib cage the only safe needling direction is tangential or onto a rib; perpendicular needling of an intercostal space risks pneumothorax.
Primary Symptoms
Secondary Symptoms
Often confused with
These muscles cause the same primary symptoms, so they are checked together:
Related muscles in this region
Related articles
- Why pain spreads: satellite trigger points, and whether deactivating one quiets its neighbours
- Burning pain between the shoulder blades at the desk: the trigger points that cause it
- The muscle behind a stiff neck you cannot turn: levator scapulae trigger points
- How safe is dry needling? Adverse events in the data
- Desk setup that stops feeding upper trapezius trigger points
- Mid-Thoracic Back Pain: which trigger points cause it and how to treat them
References
- • Travell & Simons — Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction
Medically reviewed by: Marco Aruffo — physiotherapist since 2006, specialised in myofascial pain · Last reviewed:
