Upper Back and Neck Pain Explained
There are various types of back pain. Upper back and neck pain is just one of many. Many of us know that this can happen to anyone any time. Neck and upper back pain is just as painful and troublesome as lower back pain.
Usually injury or strains are the most common reasons for back problems that originate in the upper parts of our backs. Sometimes you can get a pinched nerve that causes upper back pain and one problem when that happens is headaches. Concentration, enthusiasm, and mood is affected by this type of pinched nerve.
Though not as common as lower back pain, upper back problems still affects a lot of people. Let’s talk a minute on how the upper back is made up. The upper back is made up of the thoracic spine. There are 12 vertebrae in the thoracic spine. These vertebrae are connected with 9 of the 12 rib bones. The breast bone is perpendicular to the thoracic spine. Rib bones also connect to the breast bone. The thoracic cage consists of the breastbone, ribs and the thoracic spine. Thoracic means “chest”. All of the upper organs are protected by the chest cage.
Although rare, upper back pain does happen. What you are going to learn are the causes, symptoms and treatment that will help you understand and relieve the pain.
Now the thoracic spine exists to help stabilize the body and protect the organs. It is stronger than the lumbar spine (lower back) and the cervical spine (neck). What helps the body move and flex are the cervical and lumbar spines, while the thoracic spine is there for stability and strength. This is a reason why most of the injuries are in the cervical and the lumbar spinal regions.
Two of the main causes for neck and upper back pain or thoracic spine pain are myofascial pain and joint dysfunctional pain Myofascial pain is a muscular irritation. This happens from muscle strains, strains from sports activities, over and underuse of a muscle, sudden movements and being thrown forward as in a car accident. This usually affects the large muscles that support the shoulder blades.
Joint Dysfunction is a malfunction of the two joints that connect each rib to the thoracic spine. The ribs are connected to the spine on either side by joints. Any injury to one or even both joints can cause a loss of function and cause severe pain.
Deep tissue massage can treat Myofacial pain, chiropractic manipulation of the spine (chiropractic back pain case studies), physical therapy for the upper back pain and acupuncture or acupressure for the upper back pain. Exercise is the most important element, stretching and strengthening the shoulder muscles. This is instrumental in strength development of the upper back.
Chiropractic manipulation (chiropractic back pain case studies cure) can treat dysfunction of the joints, exercise (aerobic), medication to help relieve the pain and steroid injections to the target sites of pain.
A medical physician can also assist you in treating the cause of the upper back and neck pain as well as pain management. Other professionals such as physical therapist, orthopedic surgeons and chiropractic professional can also be lots of help.