Upper Back Pain Relief

Did you know that your upper back is the most complex area of your spine?

Most of us think that upper back pain is caused by injuries or trauma, but just by sitting for a long time on your chair or leaning over your desk for a few hours a day can put a lot of strain and cause chronic upper back pain. This gets even worse when the ribs that are attached to the spine in the upper back get involved - then you start experiencing pain that feels like you've been stabbed from your back to the front. The pain can also radiate to your arms or legs. When you start to have pain even when you just lean over, or lift something - that's when you start looking for upper back pain relief.

What Causes Your Upper Back Pain?

Back pain, or any other condition for that matter, always develops as a process. This process is called "Muscle Imbalance". You probably never heard of this from your doctor, who probably quickly gave you pain killers prescription to treat your symptoms. That's why most common treatments fail - they start with the symptoms and with the real causes fro your problem. Treating the symptoms alone will not solve this daily suffering!

Word of Caution

If you feel even minor back pain, you should take it very seriously. Your back it telling you (yes, it can talk...) that something is wrong. If you don't treat this problem - your pain will increase and you will have to take more extreme steps to return to what you used to be - A pain free and happy person

What is a Muscle Imbalance?

Believe it or not - Everyone has muscle imbalances to some degree.

A muscle imbalance happens when you have over-developed and tight muscles in one area of your body, while the opposing muscles are weaker and stretched out of their normal position. This can happen while you're doing your every day chores, playing sports (even athletes suffer from this!) or just leaning over your desk 6-8 hours a day. It's like driving a car with the wheels out of alignment...eventually you're going to have a blowout right? It's the same with your back. That's why medication, back massages and even exercise will NOT get you upper back pain relief! You have to return the balance to your back with muscle balance therapy.

What is Muscle Balance Therapy?

Muscle Balance Therapy™ is one of the most powerful tools you can use to achieve upper back pain relief - once and for all. If you search for it on the net, you'll probably find that the Greeks knew about this 2500 years ago. But like many natural therapies it was lost and replaced by conventional medical treatments that focus on symptom relief instead of the source of pain.

It starts with assessing the problem - finding out accurately where are the imbalances. Once that's done you will finally find the core to your problem - and learn to immediately correct it for good.

Next, find out how you can get upper back pain relief in 7 days - "The 7-Day Back Pain Cure" is FREE on my website (limited time) at http://natural-alternative-therapies.com/the-7-day-back-pain-cure/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Meital_James

Upper Back Pain Relief - Causes and Cures

There are many different causes of upper back pain, and while not as common as pain in the lower back, it can often times be a much more painful, often chronic condition. The good news is... There ARE medications and pain management treatments that can be very effective.

Some of the causes are myofascial pain (irritated muscles), dysfunction of or degenerative joints, and even an injury or herniation to one of the discs in the upper spine, called Thoracic Herniation. You may even have a genetic disease or disposition to having these problems. Other scary sounding problems could include osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatic nerve impingement, compressed vertebrae and others.

In other words... before you start on any course of self treatment, check with your doctor to be certain your pain relief effort doesn't require surgery.

Causes...
Though more common in lower back pain, pain in the upper back can also result - over time - from poor posture.

If you are sitting at a desk all day, hunched over doing work, this puts a strain on your upper back. The upper back vertebra are not designed to be constantly bent over like this. It is a more rigid part of the spine, designed to support the weight of the person, and protect the internal organs. If it is not held in an upright position, the muscles surrounding the spine itself can become strained.

Upper back pain can be extremely discomforting. Usually, in addition to having upper (cervical) back discomfort, you may also experience shoulder and neck pain, as well as pain in the lower back and spine. To find upper back pain relief, you will want to really dig in and find ALL the causes. It could be a combination of several acting together - not just one.

Luckily, if you happen to have upper back pain, there are a number of ways to alleviate it. Surgery, medication, back strengthening and stretching exercises, massage and even acupuncture to name a few. Prevention...
But, when discussing your health, it prevention should be your first - top - line of defense.

Since it is so important that you prevent the problem in the first place, here are a few things you can do:

1. The first is get enough sleep at night, with a bed that is supportive of the spine. Sleep is important, not just to rest the back muscles, but to repair nerve and muscle damage.

2. If you are someone who does sit in front of a desk for long periods of time, or in front of the television, that's all right, but it is important that you get up at least once every half an hour.

Move around, stand up straight as much as possible, and walk around a little bit. This way your back and spine don't strain by sitting in one position for so long a period of time.

3. There are a number of back stretching and strengthening exercises you can find that can help... try taking a class in Yoga. Building up weakened muscle tissue in the back helps!

4. Changes in diet can also help to prevent upper back pain. Reducing the amount of caffeine in your diet, eating foods that have anti-inflammatory properties.

Sometimes, upper back pain is unavoidable. It may even happen from doing something you aren't even aware of, and all of a sudden you have these pains.

Frequently, when you get sudden pain from nothing more than twisting or turning at just the right angle, this is caused by a herniated or bulging disc. Since there is no pain unless it actually touches a nerve (we are talking millimeters), it is estimated that 60% of all of us have disc problems - but we aren't aware!

We are all going to have a certain amount of upper back pain occasionally, and here are just some of the many ways to get severe back pain relief.

Upper Back Pain Relief... Cures

One way to find upper back pain relief is to soak in a tub of water with Epsom salt. Adding a bag or two to water that is hot enough to just stand it can be a great relief, not just for you upper back, but other areas of the body as well. If you want, you can even add some essential oils for aromatherapy.

Upper back massage is another great way to relieve pain, and you can do this even if you are by yourself. Take a couple of tennis balls, lay them on the floor, and lay down on them.

Gently move your body back and forth, allowing the balls to massage the muscles. Every thirty seconds to a minute, change the positioning of the balls. If you find an area that is particularly painful, you don't have to stay there, move the balls in another location.

Getting upper back pain relief is something YOU can do... there is no need to suffer!

Suffering with chronic back pains - or any other sore muscles - can completely take over your life! But... what if you just can't seem to shake it?

To learn more about Chiropractic Care, there are a ton of interesting articles at: [http://chiropractic-care.org]

Another great site to check out is "http://lumbago1.com" [http://lumbago1.com]. Either of these sites can give you the information you need to FINALLY get some back pain relief! Check them out right now while you are thinking about it! What have you got to lose? (Other than some pain!)

If you know a few tried and true strategies - there is no need to suffer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_Eitreim

Upper Back Pain Relief - How Exercises Enhance Postural Strength

Back pain especially in the upper back can be caused because of various reasons like injury, poor back strength, and bad posture. These are factors which contribute to the severe pain on your upper back can have a profound influence on your life. At most times people just tend to ignore back pain and go along doing their work without paying much attention to the pain. It is only when the pain becomes really unbearable that they start paying attention. There are also others who would take bed rest immediately when they feel the slightest pain on their backs hoping that resting would make their upper back pain disappear forever. Though resting helps relieve back pain it can cause the muscles to stiffen if over done. Regular exercising is the best way to get rid of pain forever.

People who are normally found suffering from upper back pain are computer operators, factory workers, and those people who do repetitive jobs who are known to do the same movements over a period of time. When certain exercises for your back pain is performed regularly it ensures that you good relief from any neck and back problems is got. When your spine stands upright and is naturally aligned it is referred to as optimal posture. This position helps to act like a huge absorber of any shocks that the back may encounter. When you have a bad posture it causes tension and is very demanding on the back and neck muscles which then leads to upper back pain. Doing regular upper back exercises helps you gain postural muscle strength which in turn helps prevent pain and spasms from occurring.

Stretching your upper back muscles is a good form of exercise for reducing back pain. A good example is a thoracic stretch where you get to stretch your muscles, tendons and ligaments along with increased movement. A thoracic stretch is done by either lying or sitting on a floor or mat and stretching your legs. Place your hands on your legs and slowly slide downwards to touch your thighs midway. Maintaining this position bend forward such that your head moves towards the belly button. Stop and hold this position till the count of fifteen. Repeat thrice. Kneeling exercise is another great upper back strengthening exercise. This particular exercise is done as a warm up and is often called child's pose. This is because you would normally find children kneeling and bending their head forward to touch the floor. This exercise is an excellent stress and pain reliever.

Remember that doing upper back exercises regularly will help correct your back problems and make sure that you select the ones which are appropriate for you.

Abhishek has got some great tips to relieve back pain! Download his FREE 127 Pages Ebook, "How To Win Your War Against Back Pain!" from his website http://www.Health-Whiz.com/767/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abhishek_Agarwal

Upper Back Pain Relief - 4 Simple Steps to Relieve Your Back Pain

Are you seeking for upper back pain relief? Do you want it to happen now and wish that the pain will disappear in a second? Well, it can be. A relief from such pain is possible to achieve, provided that you are going to do your part in performing necessary treatment as advised. Most of all, make sure you are responsible enough to correct the causes of the upper back pain.

Do you hate that upper back pain that seems to control your life these days? Does the pain make yourself unproductive, leaving you sedentary and irritable? True, upper back pain can affect your day to day activities. Usually, when it happens to you, the pain is mostly felt in the bottom part of the neck up to the middle portion of the back, which is why the other term for upper back pain, is "middle back pain". The pain can make you miserable, such that you will not be able to perform household chores well, such as dish washing, laundry, mapping, gardening, etc. you see, even on simple things are affected with it. Your upper back pain could also be the reason of your missed workdays at the office.

Moreover, how people respond to upper back pain depends on how they perceived the pain and how they treat it. Mostly, the common mistake of people when dealing with the pain is that they consider it as the BEST indication for treatment. Pain is an unclear sign because it doesn't give you clear definition as where the pain originates, when it will last and how much is the pain. Remember, pain is but a subjective sign, it varies from person to person, so it is not a good basis for treatment. The best way to know how upper back pain is treated, is through knowing its causes. There are a lot of factors what causes upper back pain, and the main causes are

Imbalance of your muscles and joints brought about by improper posture and exhausting daily works and household chores.
Weak muscles due to aging and laborious work.
As one ages, the spine may undergo a wear and tear stage, thus causing the spine to degenerate and becomes weak.
Unused joints due to sedentary lifestyle.
The lower back can even caused upper back pain since the spine works as one system, so, when the lower back is twisted or damaged, the upper back is affected anyway.
Again, the biggest mistake a person can make in dealing with upper back pain is relying too much of the pain alone as the basis for treatment. It must be noted that the best way to approach a relief for upper back pain is by knowing the causes, and by knowing it, a long and effective relief is possible.

Upper back pain relief...

The different causes mentioned above can be approached with the following:

1) When you suddenly feel the pain on the upper back, give value to REST. When the pain happens when the time you are doing heavy works or sitting and standing for a long period, your body calls for a rest. When you at the home, you can lie down for a while to relax your back muscles. When you are at work, take some time to sit from long standing, and stand from long sitting. Do not overwork your back muscles, as this can cause strain and injury to the back. However, rest must not be done for more than 3 days, because our back may get weak when over rested. Our back needs to be active slightly, enough to strengthen the bone.

2) If the pain is less than 48 hours, hot and cold treatment can be done alternately:

Cold application always comes first than hot. This application can be in a form of ice pack which makes use crushed ice wrapped in a towel. This is then applied directly to the painful area for 15-20 minutes. This works by reducing pain and inflammation.

Hot treatment is done next. Then the pain already subsides, this is then applied to relax the area and increase the flow blood to the area, thus causing wound healing. With the use of hot bottle wrapped in a towel, apply to the injured area for 15-20 minutes.

Application should not exceed for more than 20 minutes as this may cause some bad effects to the body.
3) Anti-inflammatory drugs.

Ibuprofen is the most common anti-inflammatory drug used to relieve swelling and pain on the injured area, because of its lesser side effects.
The frequency, duration and dosage of the drug should be advised by your health care provider.
4) Upper back pain exercises

These exercises can correct all those causes mentioned above. When the spine is weak, we can strengthen it. When the spine is immobile because of sedentary lifestyle, we can work it out though exercises. When the spine is out of balance because of improper posture, we can align it and correct those bad postures. All those and more can be covered by upper back pain exercises.

Exercise One: Stand straight. Keep your lower back against the wall with your hands on your sides. Allow your palms to face outwards. Now, those arms on your side must take a slide up and down against the wall for about 15 to 20 counts. This will stretch both your back and arm muscles.

Exercise Two: Sit straight on the floor and stretch your legs in front of you. As you do this, hold your thighs with your hands and lower down your head going towards your chest. Hold in such position as long as you can, and go back to the starting position and repeat 5 times. By doing so, it can help relax the upper back muscles.

Exercise Three: Stand straight and feet apart. Slowly stretch your hands making it parallel to the ground. Slowly turn to your left gently moving your upper body and waist; go back to the starting position and do it again on the other side. You can do this exercise, 10 times. These are great stretches for upper back pain relief.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tommy_Wayne

Right Side Upper Back Pain - How To Obtain Relief

Back pains can be very aggravating. The soreness may be found in the upper or lower portion of the back. The tenderness found in between the lower back and the neck and where the spinal column connects with the ribs commonly referred to as right side upper back pain. The muscles become worn-out and the ligaments are frayed. The muscle might become taut and rigid. The manifestations vary for each individual. A patient may have muscular contraction. Some might experience twinges in the muscles. Upper body movements can set off the pain in specific spots of the upper back. Neck and shoulder movement or even a touch on the affected parts may activate the right side upper back pain. The pain might even shoot up to the right shoulder blade.

Right side upper back pain is caused by different factors. These may be due to a misalignment or dislocation of rib joints, muscle strain, the joining of a disc or facet to the cervical spine, incorrect posture or referred pains from organ dysfunctions. Severe and razor-sharp pain can be felt in the right side upper back of the body.

Misalignment or dislocation of joints can bring about jagged pain which can be felt even if a person just takes a deep breath. Strained muscles are usually due to excessive repetitive movement, extended use of or heavy demands on the muscles. A throbbing soreness on the other hand can be felt if a patient suffers from right side upper back pain resulting from poor posture. A person who spends an extended period of time doing computer work might encounter this type of problem especially if he has poor posture. Since the movements of a person who constantly work on the computer are repetitive and tedious, the strain is usually on the same set of muscles causing it to overwork thus the persistent pain. Referred pains from some organ dysfunction also produce right side upper back pains or thoracic spine. This is especially true if a patient suffers from disorders in the stomach, spleen, heart, gallstone, and pancreas and so on.
Treatment for right side upper back pain would also vary depending on its cause. The medical practitioner has to identify the root of the right side upper back pain and treat it accordingly. Some medical practitioners may recommend traditional ways of handling the pain such as anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants, ice packs or stretching exercises. Other kinds of strenuous exercises are to be avoided to refrain from causing more damage or strain on the muscles. Chiropractic care can also alleviate the pain by employing methods such as mild pumping or putting moderate pressure on the affected parts thus separating and treating the right side upper back pain. This is also known as the flexion distraction technique.

It is recommended that a patient who suffers from right side upper back pain must consult a competent medical practitioner for a thorough physical examination to determine the exact cause of the problem. Without proper medical care and attention, right side upper back pain might worsen and leave the patient incapacitated.

Abhishek has got some great tips to relieve back pain! Download his FREE 127 Page Ebook, "How To Win Your War Against Back Pain!" from his website http://www.Health-Whiz.com/767/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abhishek_Agarwal

Upper Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades

When it comes to upper back pain between shoulder blades, there is some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that there is a whole host of problems that can cause upper back pain between the shoulder blades.

Fortunately...
The pain is not always the sharp intense pain that is associated with osteoporosis, herniated discs, sciatica, a malformed spinal cord, compressed vertebra, rheumatoid arthritis, or one of the other many degenerative physical problems that can create upper back pain.

These sort of disorders require professional medical treatment - frequently will require surgery - and are beyond the scope of this article...

It's a scary list of problems that can cause back pain.

But, for severe back pain relief, there is hope...
Though it is often far more annoying than the sharp pains mentioned above, we often experience a dull ache between the shoulder blades. This type of malady is frequently muscular in nature and treatable with some simple exercises.

One main cause of this upper back pain between shoulder blades is poor posture. When you have poor posture, the extra pressure placed on the neck muscles is often the cause of upper back pain.

The first step is to be aware that our backache is caused by poor posture - check with your family physician. Then - of course - it is important that you find the best way to get rid of that pain. One of the best treatments to get rid of inflammatory back pain is to exercise.

Not only will exercising the muscles loosen them up, but you'll learn to maintain the proper posture that will keep the upper back pain between shoulder blades away.

Here are 5 ideas...
1. One of the best stretches that you can do to loosen the muscles is to sit with your legs extended straight out in front of you.

Bend forward and reach for your toes, if you can, hook your fingers under your feet. If you aren't able to do that (yet), stretch your arms as far forward as you can. Bending forward helps to loosen the muscles of the lower back, and stretching your arms helps to loosen the muscles of your upper back.

On ALL stretching exercises - do them as a gentle, continuous stretch - don't bounce! Bouncing can strain or even sprain your muscles. In extreme cases it could cause vertebral injury.

Another excellent stretch is to lie on your back and reach your arms and legs as far in the opposite directions as possible. This therapy will help to loosen and relax the muscles that you have tensed up with poor posture.

One way to prevent and relieve the chronic pain we often get in our neck is to actually strengthen our neck muscles.

Here is a simple way you can exercise your neck to build the muscle strength that will help you avoid the causes of and get upper back pain relief.

2. Push your neck in one direction with your finger, while your neck muscles push your head in the other direction.

3. You can also use your head to hold a ball against the wall as an exercise to work out your neck muscles. You can start simply by holding it, then move on to pushing it against the wall 10 or 20 times, then pushing the ball against the wall continuously for 20 to 30 seconds.

4. Work in some exercises to help strengthen your back and abdominal muscles, especially exercises that focus on the upper back. Exercises that require your arms to pull, use your upper back muscles. Strengthening these muscles is one of the best ways to avoid and get relief from upper back pain between shoulder blades.

5. Correct your posture by practicing standing up straight and holding your head up high. Roll your shoulders back in order to lift them and keep your spine straight. Point your chin forward and lift your head to correct your posture.

Be careful if you are going to work out your neck to reduce upper back pain between shoulder blades. Your neck is delicate and can be sensitive, and you could injure it if you aren't careful. Start slowly when doing neck exercises, and slowly increase the intensity of your neck workout as time progresses. If you start to feel sore, stop.

Medication...
As soon as we start to feel any pain in our body, many of us immediately go for the nearest pain medication. Medications (such as ibuprofen) can help with the immediate inflammation... but this can be a big mistake. Medication only treats the symptoms, not the root causes of the problem and you will find only temporary pain relief. As soon as the medication wears off, the chronic back pain comes back.

True, it's more work and a bit of a hassle, but taking the time to exercise and strengthen your back and neck muscles will have long term benefits and is well worth the effort.

Check to be sure you don't have any sort of vertebrae herniation or disease and you'll often find that a simple massage will do the trick! Or possibly a visit or two to get an acupuncture treatment.

The point is, not all back problems are the result of stenosis or osteopathic in nature or require back surgery. Often, to get rid of upper back pain between the shoulder blades, the top therapy may be a daily 10 minute exercise session.

Suffering with chronic back pains - or any other sore muscles - can completely take over your life! But... what if you just can't seem to shake it?

To learn more about Chiropractic Care, there are a ton of interesting articles at: [http://chiropractic-care.org]

Another great site to check out is "http://lumbago1.com" [http://lumbago1.com]. Either of these sites can give you the information you need to FINALLY get some back pain relief! Check them out right now while you are thinking about it! What have you got to lose? (Other than some pain!)

If you know a few tried and true strategies - there is no need to suffer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_Eitreim