Snapping scapula syndrome is a fairly rare condition where the shoulder blade thumps, grates, or snaps as it moves along the chest wall. It can happen when the bursa between the shoulder blade and chest wall becomes inflamed. (A bursa is a lubricated sac that cuts down on friction between muscles, tendons, and bones during movement.) People who have had a fractured rib or shoulder blade sometimes feel grating because the bones may have healed out of alignment.

It depends on where and when you feel the popping. If it is in the back part of the shoulder blade, the popping might be coming from a problem called snapping scapula. Snapping scapula causes feelings of grating, grinding, or snapping under the back part of the shoulder blade when you move your shoulder.

Chances are good that the two problems are related. It is possible that the jerk on your arm injured the long thoracic nerve. This nerve activates the serratus anterior muscle, which helps hold the shoulder blade snuggly against the chest wall. When this muscle isn't working right, the shoulder blade can tilt like you've mentioned. Also, the muscle may have started to atrophy (shrink) from the nerve injury.

The extra training may have caused the bursa under the tip of the scapula to become inflamed. This condition is called scapulothoracic bursitis. A bursa is a lubricated sac that helps decrease friction between tendons and muscles when they move. The repeated arm motions of baseball pitching can irritate the bursa underneath the scapula. It becomes inflamed and painful. It also begins to pop during the windup, as the arm is cocked back and gains speed for the throw.

Chances are good that the two problems are related. The thumping noise is a pretty good indication that the problem relates to the bones rather than the soft tissues. A condition called snapping scapula syndrome can start from problems in the bones of the scapula or rib cage, or from the soft tissues between. Sometimes snapping scapula can after a scapula fracture.

The exercise you've described is a standard push-up with a plus. The "plus" is the part where you hunch your shoulders forward. This part of the exercise is designed to strengthen the serratus anterior muscle, which attaches to the edge of the scapula nearest the spine. This muscle passes in front of the scapula, wraps around the chest wall, and connects to the ribs on the front part of the chest.

After the corner of the scapula is surgically removed, the muscles have to be reattached to the scapula. The extra time is needed to make sure the muscles heal solidly to the bone. Active exercise too soon after this type of surgery make the new muscle attachments more likely to pull loose. Be sure to follow your doctor's advice about exercise or activity after surgery.

Doctors generally want to try all other options before resorting to surgery. And snapping scapula responds well to non-operative treatments, especially if the problem is coming from the soft tissues around the shoulder blade. However, if the problem is caused by bony abnormalities, or if non-operative treatments clearly aren't helping, surgery may be necessary.

The action of throwing requires an athlete throwing overhand to "cock" the shoulder back. When this motion is repeated, soft tissues can get squeezed between the bones of the shoulder, causing the underside of the rotator cuff tendon to rub. When this happens, the athlete may begin to feel stiffness in the shoulder, even after a good warm up. The shoulder pain is usually vague at first but is pinpointed to the back part of the shoulder as the problem gets worse.

A wide variety of tools are available to a physician to determine the extent of a serious shoulder injury. This is especially true for injuries to the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder. The rotator cuff muscles consist of a small group of four muscles surrounding the shoulder. These muscles aren't responsible for forceful movements. Instead, they guide the movements of the shoulder.