Acupressure Points for Shoulder Blade Pain
If your shoulder blade aches, these acupressure points for shoulder blade pain may help ease it. The same points can help with that burning sensation in the shoulder blade, and they’re good for the neck too.
So before you reach for the painkillers in the medicine cabinet, why not try them? You’ve got nothing to lose. And you can use them alongside your medical treatment, not instead of it.
Acupressure Points for Shoulder Blade Pain
Before the points themselves, let’s look at what causes shoulder blade pain in the first place.
Shoulder Blade Pain Causes
Muscle strain is the usual cause. You may simply have overused your arms and upper torso. Sometimes the pain starts in other muscle groups in the back, but you feel it mainly in the shoulders.
Shoulder blade pain is easy to misread, though. It can also be a sign of lung cancer or a heart attack, and sometimes it’s your gall bladder causing severe pain.
Other causes can be:
- Lifting something heavy
- A poor posture while sitting at the desk
- Working on your computer for a long time
- Any form of activity or exercise
Those are just a few of the ways shoulder discomfort starts. If the pain in your shoulder blade keeps going, see your doctor.
Here’s a closer look at some of the possible causes.
Shoulder Blade Pain Gallbladder
That’s the pear-shaped organ on the right upper abdomen, under your ribcage. In most cases it causes severe shoulder blade pain several hours after eating at night, enough to wake you from your sleep.
Changing position doesn’t relieve the pain, whether you’re sleeping or passing gas. You may not get heartburn, but you might feel nauseated.
The pain is also tied to concerns with your heart and digestive system. Some gallbladder causes are:
- Gallstones
- Biliary Sludge (thickened bile salts)
- Inflammation
- Gallbladder Rupture and More
See your doctor if the pain is severe and your breathing starts to become more difficult.
Shoulder Blade Pain Radiating Down Arm
This pain, also known as referred pain, can come from different ailments:
- Heart problems like angina or a heart attack usually come with chest pain. This kind of pain can also be confused with an upset stomach or heartburn.
- Neck problems, such as a pinched nerve, can also cause pain in the shoulder blades and down the arm.
- Another cause can be lung problems, such as a blood clot, which can cause symptoms similar to pulled shoulder muscles.
If the pain persists and pressing the acupressure points doesn’t help, see a physician.
Shoulder Blade Pain in Pregnancy
The pain can be a result of an ectopic pregnancy, when a fertilized egg implants outside the womb in one of the fallopian tubes.
Symptoms typically develop between your fourth and 12th week of pregnancy. They range from a missed period and vaginal bleeding to shoulder tip pain.
The pain is unusual. You feel it at the ends of the shoulders, where the arms begin, and no one knows why it started. The pregnancy results in internal bleeding, so get medical advice right away if you experience this.
This is a joint shoulder blade pain in early pregnancy, and it’s best not to leave it alone.
Other symptoms of shoulder blade pain are as follows:
- Shoulder blade pain with a burning sensation usually happens when the shoulders are inflamed. It causes a dull ache, and it’s often related to an older shoulder injury.
- Shoulder blade pain with breathing problems can be caused by muscle spasms. Acupressure treatments are a good way to relieve this pain.
- Shoulder blade pain originating from the neck is typically a result of a pinched nerve or muscle weakness.
- Shoulder blade pain when coughing typically happens when your lungs are inflamed and need medical attention.
- Shoulder blade pain from sleeping can be caused by sleeping in an incorrect position.
- Shoulder blade pain when turning the head is similar to an ache in the neck caused by a pinched nerve.
Those are some of the symptoms that can come with shoulder blade pain, and they are treatable. Here’s what you can do:
To ease shoulder blade pain, stand up and place your left hand on the middle of your back, arm facing outwards and elbow pointing outwards.
Now reach across the front of your body with your right hand and grab your left elbow. Pull gently forward, hold for 30 seconds, and repeat on the other side.
Another exercise: stand with your chin slightly tucked. Keep your arms relaxed and shrug your shoulders up towards your ears, then up and back.
As you move back, use circular movements, as if you were placing your hands into the back pockets of your pants. Do this four times, and stretch the muscles until you feel relaxed.
You can also press the acupressure points for shoulder pain.
Valid Acupressure Points for Shoulder Pain
Plenty of pressure points can help with shoulder pain. These are the main ones:
Acupressure points for neck and shoulder pain
Gates of Consciousness
You’ll find this point at the back of the neck, in the hollow near the base of your skull. Press firmly on both sides for instant pain relief. The acupoint is also used for dizziness and headaches.
Triple Warmer 3 Hand Pressure Point
The meridian starts at the tip of your ring finger and runs through the back of your arm and shoulder, ending at the side of your neck and the back of your ear. The TW3 acupoint sits on the back of the hand, between the small and ring finger bones.
Acupressure points for shoulder pain
The Shoulder Well (Jian Jing)
Never use it during pregnancy. To find the spot, pinch your whole shoulder muscle with your thumb and finger. It’s at the highest point, starting from the neck on both sides. Always press downwards to stimulate the acupoint.
Heavenly Rejuvenation
Heavenly Rejuvenation, also known as TW15, works very well for treating frozen shoulder. You’ll find it a ½ inch below the highest point of the joint, moving towards the back.
Outer arm bone
The outer arm bone acupoint sits one-third of the way from the shoulder to the elbow, on the outer side. Gently massage the spot for five minutes, twice daily, to help with stiffness or swelling.
Small Intestine 10
Small Intestine 10 is on the back of the shoulder, and you’ll need another person to press it for you. That person draws a line with their finger straight up from the back edge of the armpit to the bones of the shoulder joint.
These points are easy to use day to day. If the pain persists, though, please see your doctor. Honestly, what feels like ordinary shoulder blade pain can be something more severe, as mentioned above. And never use acupressure as a standalone treatment. Use it in combination with your medical treatment, to help improve symptoms more quickly.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Jian Times
Last updated: October 22, 2026