Healthy advice for fit living

When patients report back pain, they are usually referring to tenderness or injury in the lower back.  While upper back discomfort is far less common than lower back pain, it can nevertheless cause significant pain to those suffering from it.

Upper back discomfort is often caused by joint dysfunction, as well as muscular irritation known as myofascial pain.  Injuries such as a herniated or degenerated disc can also create pain in the upper back.

Your Upper Back

Also known as the middle back or mid-back, your upper back is sometimes referred to as the thoracic spine.  In translation, "thoracic" means "pertaining to the chest'.  Unlike the cervical spine (neck) and the lumbar spine (lower back), your upper back is not built for a great deal of mobility.  Rather, it is there mainly for support, keeping you stable while you stand upright, and protecting your vital internal organs in the chest.  The unique design of the upper back means that it rarely suffers the risk of injury or degeneration.   While it doesn't occur often, upper back discomfort is possible, and can be quite painful.

Treatment Methods

Most cases of upper back discomfort are receptive to manual treatments.  If your pain is due to muscular irritation caused by overuse (such as repetitive motions) or de-conditioning (lack of strength), you may find comfort in these treatments:

* Physical exercise
* Active or passive physical therapy
* Chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation
* Deep massage
* Acupuncture
* Massage therapy

Most of the rehabilitation programs designed to treat upper back discomfort utilize a great deal of stretching and strengthening.  This is due to the fact that in many cases, the upper back pain is related to the large muscles in the shoulder area.  By targeting these muscles through exercise, it is possible to treat the pain.

There are other methods of treating upper back discomfort that work by identifying specific tender areas.  These "trigger points" can be directly treated as a means to find pain relief.  Massage therapy, acupuncture and injections with a local anesthetic such as Lidocaine are all effective methods of treating trigger point pain.

Pain Self-Management

Not every person will immediately call the doctor when experiencing mild to moderate pain.  There are several self-care steps that can provide relief, including:

*  Proper posture when sitting:  Instead of bending or bowing to bring your eyes, head and neck to the paper you're reading, bring the paper to your eyes instead.  This is the advised method of Hubert Rosomoff, M.D., D. Med. Sc., a medical director at the University of Miami Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation Center in Miami Beach.

*  Wear a sports bra:  Karl B. Fields, M.D., associate professor of family practice and director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina suggests that proper support can make a big difference in the amount or degree of upper back discomfort women experience.

While upper back pain is less common than lower back pain, it is painful nonetheless.  Try these methods for relieving your upper back discomfort.  If the pain persists for more than a few days, see your doctor.