Upper back pain is becoming an increasingly common issue. Often attributed to car accidents, prolonged periods of sitting, and extensive computer or device use, this discomfort can make it difficult to live a productive and high-quality life. Unfortunately, when upper back pain occurs it is often paired with excruciating muscle spasms. Thus, even when people are sitting perfectly still, they can still be in agony. Many people who suffer from upper back pain also experience discomfort in their shoulders and neck. The good news is that a Birmingham chiropractic practice offers a number of effective and entirely natural solutions.
With the right therapies, you can look forward to improved mobility, less discomfort, and greater peace of mind. When treating upper back pain, chiropractors start by searching for its cause. There are a number of factors that can create tight, tense, and sore muscles in this area. Jarring, impact events, spinal subluxations, and secondary stress on muscles and other structures that are compensating for a back injury are among the most common causes.
Learning more about a patient’s spinal alignment and medical history is key for ensuring that the right treatment strategies are being used. In many instances, treatment for upper back pain includes:
- Recommendations for lifestyle changes
- Hands-on manipulation of the spine
- Inversion
- Massage therapy
- Acupressure or acupuncture
- Ultrasound therapy
The best treatments for upper back pain do more than simply alleviate the immediate discomfort that people are feeling. Targeted therapies are often used to restore balance and proper functioning across the entire musculoskeletal system.
Special exercises for building strength along activities for properly stretching the body can be assigned for ensuring that the spine maintains proper alignment post-treatment, and that correct posture is always being used. With a comprehensive and needs-specific plan, Birmingham patients can enjoy long-lasting improvements across multiple areas of their health.
Common Upper Back Pain Causes And Treatments
Following a car accident, many people suffer from the extraordinary pain and joint dysfunction of whiplash. Jarring impact events and the resulting back-and-forth movements of the neck and head can severely disrupt normal spinal alignment. Although the neck is the primary area of injury with whiplash, immediate and latent upper back pain can also exist. More commonly, however, pain in the upper back is the result of day-to-day activities. For instance, lots of people develop muscle spasms after spending long hours craned over their computers at work.
When this is the case, hands-on therapies can be applied to improve the resulting alignment issues. However, strategic changes in work practices and work equipment may be required for preventing new and additional problems. If you spend long hours craning your neck over any device or screen, the muscles that support your spine will eventually grow tired. This is frequently how muscle spasms arise. Many conventional doctors recommend using prescription-strength muscle relaxers while getting plenty of bed rest.
Although these strategies will allow the body to gradually repair the underlying issue, returning to long hours at the computer will invariably cause upper back pain to recur. This is why many people turn to the natural and long-lasting therapies that chiropractors offer. When visiting a chiropractic practice for treatment, spinal adjustments may be performed to gently finesse areas of the spine that have become displaced back into position. Massage therapy and inversion can alleviate the secondary strain that’s been placed on supporting muscles, and ultrasound therapy can help reduce pain and inflammation.
Moreover, your chiropractic doctor can teach you strategies for using your mobile phone and computer safely. These can include:
- Consciously limiting your overall screen time
- Alternating between standing and sitting while on the job
- Investing in ergonomic work equipment
- Performing daily stretching exercises to alleviate built-up stress
Sometimes upper back pain is the result of working out. If you spend a lot of time lifting weights to build up your arms, or if you’ve been aggressively training your core muscles, back pain could be a problem. A chiropractor can show you a more balanced and safe way to achieve your fitness goals so that the spine and the surrounding muscles are never sustaining harm. One of the biggest attributes of chiropractic therapy is the fact that it’s essentially free of side effects.
Unlike prescription pain medications, chiropractic treatments are not addicting and do not cause additional discomfort. These therapies are intended to promote rapid pain relief while supporting the body in its efforts to heal itself. With the right care and targeted strategies for preventing new injuries in the upper back area, it’s possible to obtain lasting relief naturally. Are you looking for a fast and effective way to alleviate your upper back pain? If so, contact us today by calling 205-637-1363.
