A burning question

January 2, 2006 9:56 AM

What is this hot spot on my back?

I have a specific spot on my back that gets hotter than all the other spots on my back. It's on the lower side of my right shoulder blade. If my back gets warm, this particular spot gets burning, almost painfully hot. It's been doing this noticeably for a couple of months now and I think it's getting worse.

At first, I thought it coincided with the label in my winter jacket (since I recall it starting around the start of winter) even though it was off center, but today I'm noticing it as I sit here in my brand new, cozy warm bathrobe - which has a label, but nowhere near that area. I've taken off the robe, and the rest of my back has cooled off, but that particular spot is still quite hot (though not painful as it was when I was wearing the robe).

I should note that I feel the burning sensation there just sitting around not touching it, but when I do touch it, it does feel warmer than the surrounding skin. I can't touch the surrounding areas with the same parts of my hand though, as I'm just barely flexible enough to reach that area of my back, so I'm not sure how valid the comparison is.

posted by jacquilynne to health (8 comments total)

I've had these before, years ago. It's a very odd feeling, isn't it? They haven't returned, or I haven't noticed them, and I feel fine /knockonwood.

See a doctor, though.
posted by Rothko at 10:01 AM on January 2, 2006

See a doctor?
posted by ryanhealy at 10:15 AM on January 2, 2006

Not to pry, but I take it there is no one handy to whom you can say, "Hey, do me a favor and look at this spot on my back, willya"?

I also take it that it's only your skin that feels hot, and it doesn't go any deeper a la a pulled muscle?
posted by Gator at 10:27 AM on January 2, 2006

If it eventually bothers me enough, I probably will see a doctor, yes. But right now, it doesn't do anything other than mildly annoy me, and I once had a period that lasted over a hundred days before I saw a doctor, so, as you can imagine, it's likely to take more than mild annoyance to get me there. If anyone has ever experience anything like this and it turned out to be something worth worrying about, I might get there sooner.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:29 AM on January 2, 2006

Gator - my mother looked at it while she was here over Christmas, and she agreed it was probably a little warmer than the rest of my back, but there's nothing visible there. It doesn't look red or swollen or anything.

In terms of skin vs. deeper, it doesn't ache constantly or feel hurt in any significant way in the mucles, and though the burning doesn't just feel like just the surface, it also doesn't feel like it goes too deeply under the surface.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:32 AM on January 2, 2006

It may be a mild case of shingles.
posted by wsg at 10:40 AM on January 2, 2006

I had the exact same thing happen to me. I just left it alone, and after about 6 months it went away and hasn't recurred in the 4 or 5 years since.
posted by charmston at 10:48 AM on January 2, 2006

It's quite likely mild hypoaquatic eczema, or a similar skin irritation. Rub a little hydrocortizone cream on it and see if it goes away.

Signed,
One Who Knows
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:37 PM on January 2, 2006