People suffering from upper back pain can experience:
- difficulty taking in deep breaths.
- Pain when trying to stand up straight.
- rigid and stiff upper back.
- constricted in their chest and upper body and also,
- pain shooting down one side.
Causes for upper back pain:
Common stressors are found in your environment, lifestyle and habits.
- Using desks and chairs with poor ergonomic set up.
- Poor posture
- Smoking
- Excess weight
- Genetics (very tall people)
- Wear and tear (age related)
- Slouching with using devices and gaming consoles
- Muscle imbalances as well as,
- Excessive coughing when ill.
Misconceptions about Upper Back Pain
Upper back pain is mostly caused by poor posture, slouching or weak upper body muscles. This is especially true for people who work in offices, but can in a variety of industry based work practices such as hospitality, nursing, trades and even gym/fitness training.
Associated Conditions
- Scoliosis (curved spine)
- Slouched posture (hyper-kyphosis)
- Scheuermann’s disease
Traditionally, people with upper back pain may try applying heat, ice, stretching, massaging the painful area and also medication. These treatment options can be ineffective as they are not addressing the cause of the condition.