Learn Why Many People Swear by Their Chiropractor for Relief of Pain in the Upper and Middle Back
Keywords: upper back pain, shoulder blade pain
Seeking Relief for Upper Back or Shoulder Blade Pain?
Quick Spinal Anatomy
Anatomy of the spine. There are 3 main spinal regions: Cervical (neck), Thoracic (upper and middle back with ribs) and Lumbar (low back)
The spine is an interconnected group of spinal bones (vertebrae) that’s main purpose is to protect the delicate spinal cord and nerves. Because the spinal column is made of numerous individual movable bones, it is similar to a chain. Each link has limited movements, but combined together there is great movement of the entire spine. The thoracic region also has the important role of holding the rib cage and housing the visceral organs the heart and lungs.
More About the Thoracic Spine
There are 12 spinal bones or vertebrae in the thoracic region that are linked together by intervertebral discs and interlocking joints. The spinal joints that allow movement are called “facet” joints. The ribs attach at the rear of the thoracic spine and continue around to turn into cartilage towards the front of the chest and attach to your breastbone or sternum.
Mobility of the middle and upper back is less than the neck and back because of these rib attachments creating a more rigid spinal area. The normal alignment of the thoracic spine viewed from behind is straight up and down. Looking from the side, the upper and middle back should curve outwardly forming a “kyphosis.”
Why Do We Get Upper Back Pain?
Posture
Modern day life is hard on the upper and middle back. Many people spend many hours a day either sitting at a desk, staring down at a phone or sitting in a car. All of these cause postural stress and strain. Sometimes the postural stress is from bad habits like slumping while we work or sitting partially turned at a computer. Often even if our posture is adequate, the numbers of hours spent sitting at a desk without breaks is the problem. Women are more at risk for upper and middle back pain due to breasts. Particularly women with heavier breasts are prone to increased strain on the thoracic spine and suffer from pain. A properly fitted and supportive bra can often help.
Injury
The thoracic spine is commonly injured in accidents. This region is naturally stiffer than the rest of the spine, so it is susceptible to strain and misalignment if sudden twisting or jarring forces are sustained in sports or car accidents. The muscles may become strained and go into protective spasm, which then locks up the facet joints or joints between the ribs and spine. You may be surprised to know that coughing is also a common cause of middle back pain. Coughing causes a relatively large amount of stress on the spine. If you have a bad cold, flu or asthma and cough repeatedly over a period of time, your ribs can become strained and your back can go into spasm.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a common problem in the middle back. Rather than being aligned straight up and down, the scoliotic spine has an abnormal sideways curve. This problem affects many people, females more so than men. In fact, 1 in 3 girls have scoliosis. There are 2 major types of scoliosis: 1. because of a structural defect such as a misshaped vertebrae or a short leg; 2. of unknown cause, called “idiopathic.”
Symptoms of Upper Back and Shoulder Blade Pain
- Aching, burning pain in upper or middle back
- Pain along or underneath the shoulder blade
- Spasms or cramping sensation
- Tingling sensations
- Pain in the back or chest taking a deep breath or exhaling
- Pain in breastbone or ribs
- Repeated hiccups or frequent heartburn
- Upper back or shoulder blade pain on head movement
Why Chiropractic?
Your Doctor of Chiropractic specializes in the examination and diagnosis of spinal problems. Chiropractors locate the malfunction and restore normal movement. There are no other types of doctor or therapist on par with a chiropractor at locating spine and rib malfunction and fixing it. Most problems causing pain in the upper and middle back or ribs are mechanical in nature. Joints are locked and inflamed and muscles are in spasm. Chiropractors find the root cause, the misalignment and corrects it by hands on chiropractic adjustments.
They may also use therapy modalities to speed up the healing process. Stabilizing exercises and postural advice is also given to prevent future occurrences.
Chiropractic Pain Relief Treatment
A careful physical examination and in some cases x-rays are performed to find the underlying cause of your pain. A specific individualized treatment plan will then be implemented. It can take a few visits to relieve your pain or could last as long as several months depending on what caused your pain to begin with. Traumatic injuries involve tissue damage and must heal over time. How long a problem has been there, your occupational demands, physical activity level and lifestyle all affect how long it will take to recover.
Chiropractic Spinal Adjustments for Upper Back Relief
A chiropractic adjustment is a precise thrust in a specific direction to restore normal facet joint motion and unlock the joint. There’s multiple methods of spinal adjusting. Chiropractors may have been trained in one specific type of adjusting, while others have training in several types of adjusting. Your doctor will apply the type of adjustment they feel is appropriate for your condition.
Thoracic spine adjustments vary. You may be asked to lie face down and a force applied to to your spine or you may be face up and lay back onto the doctor’s hand. Some chiropractors adjust the spine with you standing up. The actual adjustment is usually not painful and is completed in fractions of a second.
Often you will feel and hear a click, crack or pop sound. This is NOT bones rubbing together. The sound is carbon dioxide gasses being released as the joint is moved through it’s maximum physiologic movement. It’s like carbonation being released when you open a soda bottle. Your chiropractor may adjust more than just the painful area. The spine is interconnected, so other joints may also be adjusted to make sure all the tension from your spine is released.
Pain Relief Modalities for Upper Back Pain
Chiropractic adjustments alone can restore joint function and eventually spasm and inflammation would subside. To speed up the recovery process, you may also receive therapy modalities such as moist heat, electrical muscle stimulation and even cold laser to help reduce inflammation, pain and spasm. These modalities can greatly shorten the time it takes to feel relief.
Exercises are Helpful for Pain Relief
Most people have poor posture due to working conditions. Having forward slumping rounded shoulders puts your upper and middle back pain under great stress. In general most people are too tight in front and too weak in back. Your doctor will want to counter this imbalance by advising you to do exercises that promote strength between the shoulder blades and to correct your posture. You also be given stretches to decrease the tightness of your chest muscles to allow your middle back to assume a normal posture.
Upper Back Ergonomics
Many of us spend inordinate amounts of time slumped over a school or work desk. Some of us also spend a lot of time in activities at work or hobbies that require us to lean over to work on things or spend hours a day sitting in a car and reaching forward for the steering wheel. Proper body positioning or “ergonomics” needs to be assessed and improvements made to prevent ongoing problems. Changing your seat position, adjusting the height of your computer monitor, placement of the keyboard and mouse and relocating your car seat position can minimize postural stress.