A 15-year-old boy with persistent shoulder and upper back complaints for over four years that simply would not resolve.
The pain was located near the left shoulder blade, particularly:
• when his arm hung down for an extended period
• when carrying a bag or backpack
• during long tennis matches
He remembered clearly when the symptoms started. During a visit to a swimming pool, his shoulder collided forcefully with the edge of a wild water rapids ride.
Previous treatments focused on muscle relaxation, mobilization, and manipulation of the ribs. This only provided temporary relief each time.
It is common for an osteopath to find the cause of a complaint in a completely different part of the body.
But not this time.
We found the cause locally—only one layer deeper—in a connective tissue structure: the parietal pleura at the level of the 3rd rib.
The parietal pleura is the outer layer of the pleura and lines the inside of the chest cavity.
In practice, I often see this structure become irritated after a mechanical impact, such as a fall or a heavy blow.
The treatment consisted of a gentle, targeted technique to normalize the tension in this connective tissue. After the first treatment, I observed a familiar reaction: initially a slight increase in symptoms, followed by a clear improvement.
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿,
𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆
𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲.
A wonderful reminder that not only muscles and joints can cause complaints, but deeper connective tissue structures can also play a significant role.
