If you’re suffering from general upper-back , you’re probably having a hard time doing daily activities like driving a car, working at the computer, or even brushing your teeth.
You may be experiencing headaches or radiating pain into the arms and/or the shoulder blades. You may have had muscles “lock up,” making it nearly impossible to move your head or arms.
All these symptoms can be caused by problems with your body (usually muscle trauma or imbalances), mind (e.g., stress), and/or diet–and most likely, they’ve been building up for quite some time.
This region of our back is quite complex, due to the fact that it contains many joints.
When working properly, you can perform everyday tasks with ease– but when pain strikes in the upper back, even the simplest activities can be difficult.
The three most common reasons for upper-back pain are trauma, trigger points, and muscle imbalances.
With trauma, it’s easy to determine what caused the pain; however, in case of trigger points or muscle imbalances, a person may not be able to pinpoint any one thing that triggered it.
That’s because postural dysfunctions are often the culprit.
These postural dysfunctions cause abnormal alignment of the head and shoulders and abnormal positioning of the joints that lead to increased wear and tear on the joints, muscles, and ligaments– even discs.
The key to treating upper-back pain due postural dysfunctions is to correct the dysfunction. It’s important to understand that while upper-back pain caused by postural dysfunctions or muscle imbalance can introduce itself suddenly, it probably took a long time to develop before any pain was perceived.
This is also true of trigger points, which can occur after toxins build up in tissues, muscles, tendons, or ligaments for a period of time.
Common treatments employed by medical professionals include cortisone injections, prescriptions for muscle relaxants or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and bed rest.
Chiropractic care and physical therapy can offer spinal mobilizations, hot packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, cervical traction, and therapeutic exercises..
Most of these treatments, though, fail to address the cause of the pain, so while a person may get temporary relief, the condition often lurks in the background, waiting to rear its ugly head one more time.
The one thing that effectively provides both pain relief and prevention is correcting the postural imbalance which caused the pain in the first place.
Temporary Pain Relief — Action Plan
Read about all the elements of a successful temporary pain relief action plan
These are the three you should begin today, in order of importance
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Far infrared heat therapy
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Pain-relief cream
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Natural anti-inflammatory (e.g., proteolytic enzyme supplements)
