Upper Back, Shoulder and Arm
Interscapular pain, shoulder pain and arm pain that commonly refer from rotator cuff, scapular stabilizers and the deltoid.
The rotator cuff, deltoid and upper back muscles refer pain into the shoulder and down the arm. Shoulder pain that seems to come from the joint is often referred from the infraspinatus, supraspinatus or subscapularis, which is why examining the muscles around the shoulder blade matters.
This Upper Back, Shoulder and Arm page lists 6 symptom patterns and 14 muscles. Start with the symptom that matches where you feel pain: each symptom page shows which muscles are the primary, secondary and tertiary sources. Then open a muscle page to see where its trigger points sit, how to locate them by palpation, common causes and evidence-based self-care.
Referred pain maps describe typical patterns, so use them as a starting point rather than a diagnosis. Trigger points often develop in groups: when one muscle in this region is overloaded, its neighbours usually compensate, which is why the symptom pages list several muscles. If pain is severe, constant, follows an injury or comes with numbness, weakness, fever or night pain, see a clinician before trying self-treatment.
