“I have upper back pain between my shoulders,” says one person. “My upper back pain is in my neck,” says another. “I have pain in upper back when swallowing,” says a third person. It is unusual to have pain with swallowing that is related to back muscle pain, and this person will obviously want to see a physician if symptoms persist.

But what causes the more common upper back pain?

Upper Back Pain Means Something Is Amiss

Pain is always a warning signal, so you will not want to ignore upper back pain. It may be something as simple as muscle strain, or it may signal something more.

Much upper back pain is the result of a muscle strain. Your back muscles constantly work to keep your spine aligned and healthy. To do so, they gently tug left, right, up and down. If they are forced to pull too long or too suddenly in one direction or another, they can become strained. This happens most frequently when unexercised muscles lack strength, or when muscles become injured because they are forced to repeat motions (overuse injury).

Causes of Upper Back Pain

The following is a limited list of upper back pain causes.

* Prolonged time hunched over a computer keyboard
* Unmanaged stress in workplace or home
* Improper sleeping posture
* Muscle injury caused by sports
* Muscle injury caused by improper exercise

Even wearing clothing that is too tight or too heavy can cause upper back pain.

As you can see, common upper back pain is usually a result of either muscular irritation or joint dysfunction.

1. Muscular Irritation

Upper back pain is frequently caused by irritation of the large muscles that attach your shoulder girdle to your shoulder blades and the back of your rib cage.

TREATMENT: Gentle exercise is a good treatment of upper back pain. Massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic or osteopathic treatments are also options. The focus is to stretch and strengthen muscles to relieve present pain and avoid upper back pain in the future.

2. Joint Dysfuntion

Upper back pain is less frequently caused by improper functioning of the two joints that connect your ribs with your spine in back.

TREATMENT: This upper back pain is usually treated by manual manipulation to mobilize the joints. You will want to have this performed by a therapist. Again, gentle exercise is vital.

See Your Physician

We always recommend seeing a physician if back pain seems unusual or persists more than a few days. Upper back pain is no exception.

In rare cases, upper back pain may be connected with thoracic disc disease. This condition needs to be diagnosed with x-rays or CAT/MRI scans and medical advice given by a trained professional.

Alternative back pain therapy includes those already discussed: acupressure (shiatsu), acupuncture, and injections of irritants to strengthen tendons and ligaments.

Alternative back pain therapy also includes the following four treatments.

1. Rolfing Massage

Rolfing is a type of back pain therapy that relies on strong pressure massage. Unlike shiatsu, which is normally not painful, this back pain therapy can be uncomfortable. The practitioner applies strong pressure on deep tissues in the back, with a goal of structural integrity. In other words, by relieving tightness of the fascia, a sheath of tissue covering back muscles, the practitioner hopes to ensure that all organs, bones, and tissues are properly positioned within the body. This back pain therapy is said to improve posture also. Developed by Dr. Ida Rolf (1878-1979), the massage is thought to facilitate body alignment. Careful, systematic manual pressure is thought to relieve chronic restrictions, providing the body with the freedom it needs to “re-organize” at very deep levels.

2. Spinal Manipulation

Chiropractors and osteopathic doctors are most likely to use this type of back pain therapy. Spinal manipulation involves use of the hands to adjust, massage, mobilize, or stimulate the spine and the tissues that surround it. The belief is that this back pain therapy will restore joint mobility by applying a controlled force into joints that have become restricted in movement. If you have arthritis in your back, osteoporosis, or spinal cord compression, this back pain therapy is not a good choice.

3. Traction

The idea behind this back pain therapy is that back function will improve if the back is stretched through the use of pulleys and weights. The rationale is to pull apart vertebrae, allowing a bulging disc to slip back into place. For some people, pain relief is experienced while in traction, but the relief is temporary. Once traction has been removed, the pain returns.

4. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS back pain therapy uses mild electric impulses to stimulate the nerve endings under the skin in the area of pain. The sufferer administers this back pain therapy at home by placing electrodes on the skin near the area of pain. The electrodes are connected to a small, battery-powered TENS unit. It is believed that the low level of electrical current used in TENS works by stimulating the release of endorphins, the body’s natural pain-blocking chemicals. As endorphins are released into the spinal fluid, pain is numbed.

Back pain therapy can do actual damage if used in the wrong way or under the wrong conditions. Before trying alternative back pain therapy, please talk to your health care provider.

The information presented here is for educational purposes only. The author is not a medical professional, and does not recommend any one back pain therapy over another. Studies of alternative back pain therapy prove uncertain as to the outcomes, but some do obtain relief from the treatments described.

Back Pain Relief

Back pain relief can often be as simple as massage therapy. Massage is a good option for back pain relief for a number of reasons.

* Massage is a non-invasive treatment for back pain relief.
* It is considered a very low risk for most people.
* It can increase blood flow and circulation to the area of back pain.
* It decreases tension in the muscles, reducing back pain.
* It can improve sleep.
* It is relaxing as well as physically beneficial.
* It has psychological benefits, as it releases endorphins.

Registered Massage Therapists

Registered massage therapists are trained to assess and diagnose soft tissue and joint injuries. They treat back pain with a blend of modern science and ancient philosophies.

Massage therapy is becoming more widely accepted in the medical community as a credible treatment for many types of back pain. Studies have shown that massage therapy can benefit back pain sufferers who have arthritis, fibromyalgia, sports injuries, and carious other soft tissue sprains and strains.

Estimates indicate that 75 percent of health care providers have sent back pain patients to registered massage therapists.

Why Massage Therapy Helps

Most episodes of acute lower back pain are caused by muscle strain. The sufferer may have lifted a heavy object, or twisted in moving something. The back pain may be a result of a traumatic injury such as a fall. Back pain can be very severe, and last from several hours to several weeks.

When back muscles are strained or torn, they can become inflamed. The inflammation can then cause muscles to spasm. This triggers lower back pain, and makes movement difficult.

Massage therapy can work out the spasm and irritation that are causing back pain. It can improve range of motion also.

Spinal Arthritis

In spinal arthritis, the joints of the spine become inflamed. Cartilage may begin to break down between aligning facet joints. As the facet joints become inflamed, they create frictional back pain, bone rubbing on bone. Massage therapy can help reduce osteoarthritis pain by improving circulation and reducing stress and muscle tension.

CAUTION: Although massage therapy is relatively safe, it is always advisable to check with your physician before undergoing any back pain relief treatment. Massage may not be suitable for your back pain condition.

Define Core Muscles

Core muscles are your abdominals, pelvis, and back. These muscles are at the core of your body. They help support and give strength to the body.

Back Exercise with a Fitness Ball

Many back exercises for core muscles can be done with a fitness ball. A fitness ball, sometimes called an exercise ball, is a large, inflatable ball on which you can sit or lie. Such reputable places as Mayo Clinic offer online instructions for core back exercises with a fitness ball.

Fitness balls come in at least three basic sizes. To find your best size for most back exercises, sit on the ball with your feet flat on the floor. The ball that puts your knees at a right angle in this position is the one for you. A firm ball will give more difficult exercise, a softer ball will provide easier back exercise.

Here are just three of the back exercises you can do with your fitness ball.

* Arm Bridge: Lie on your back across a fitness ball. Stretch your arms backwards over your head, bridging your hands to the floor. Continue this back exercise until you feel the stretch action in your lower back. Hold as long as you can.

* Leg Bridge: Lie on your back on the floor. Stretch your legs up onto the fitness ball. Tightening the abdominal muscles, raise buttocks and hips off the floor to form the bridge with your back. Take three deep, slow breaths while holding the bridge. Lower buttocks and hips, and then repeat this back exercise.

* Side Stretch: Begin this back exercise by lying on your side on the floor. Place the fitness ball between your legs from knees down. Straighten the arm on the floor, and rest your head on it. Tightening your abdominal muscles, and with the ball still between your legs, raise both legs a few inches from the floor. Hold the position while taking three slow, deep breaths. Lower your legs and repeat. Do this back exercise on both sides.

Other back exercises you can do with a fitness ball include such as reverse crunches; abdominal raising of the ball; hand-walking while lying on ball; and abdominal exercise while sitting on the ball.

All of these will strengthen core muscles – essential to avoiding or relieving back pain.

Helpful Tips

Elsewhere on this website, we offer specific instructions for a variety of low back exercises and other back exercises. Most of these require no special equipment. Most are free and can be done at home.

* Severe low back pain from lifting
* Low back pain in endurance runners
* Office ergonomics posture and low back pain
* Occupational low back pain
* Low back pain and pneumonia

Studies indicate that as many as 60 percent of patients in the general practitioners’ offices are those with passing or chronic low back pain. In most cases, the pain is temporary, and resolves of its own accord in two or three weeks.

Your Risk Factor

Everyone is at risk for low back pain, but not necessarily for chronic low back pain. Both children and elderly people can suffer. Children usually suffer low back pain as a result of injury, and heal quickly. Senior citizens, especially those who are sedentary, are more likely to strain their backs while performing some unaccustomed activity.

Those at greatest risk are middle-aged people, from 30 to 50 years of age. Carrying or lifting heavy bags, furniture, etc. are usually the causes of low back pain in this age group.

If your pain is acute, and is caused by health problems, it may become chronic low back pain. Arthritis can also produce chronic low back pain. Do not assume, however, that nothing can be done.

Overcoming Low Back Pain

Conquering chronic low back pain is often a matter of regular, consistent exercise. As long as your physician agrees, you can try exercise for most chronic low back pain, including arthritis. Many exercises for low back pain require no equipment at all. Some may require a simple, straight-back chair, or a gym ball. In some cases, water exercise is recommended, since it puts less pressure on joints while strengthening core muscles.

We described exercises for low back pain in an earlier blog on this site. Look for 06-Exercise for Back Pain under blog “Categories” to the right side of this page.

CAUTION: The author is not a medical professional, and intends the information here to be for educational purposes only. Please be sure you see your physician about low back pain, and seek his or her advice about exercise.