Upper Back Pain
According to the National Office of Statistics in 2015 more than 1 million work days were lost in Britain due to back aches, and no wonder with more and more of us hunched over computers in the workplace upper back pain and stiffness has become far more common than lower back pain.
Upper Back Pain can be caused by:
- Injury
- Poor Posture
- Spinal Instability
- Stress
- Disc Problems
One of the best ways to beat back pain is through exercise but it is important to have your spine checked if you get pain before embarking on exercise.
However… Don’t over do it. By over exercising strained areas this puts further stress on the muscles and joints, creating additional nerve irritation and potentially worsening the underlying problem.
What Exercise is best? Pilates can be a great option for those suffering from back pain as it can help to strengthen and train the small and large muscles attached to the spine. Pilates also has the added advantage of helping you focus on your posture and a good posture allows for the optimum distribution of weight through the body so the musculoskeletal system can function at it’s best and protect against injury
Back Pain & Stress… Upper back pain can also be caused by stress, especially when you hold a lot of tension in your lower neck and shoulders
How to relax… If you experience high levels of stress at work it is important to take a deep breath every so often and gently roll your shoulders back 4 or 5 times to naturally help relieve the tension.
This will help relax the muscles and make sure to protect against spasms or cramps
How else is back pain treated?
- Physical Therapy
- Massage
- Exercise
- Chiropractic Adjustment
How does seeing a chiropractor help? If you see a chiropractor they will first attempt to identify where the problem stems from and then advise how they can help to improve the underlying problem in order to relieve the pain