Understanding Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain is an often chronic condition that plagues many Americans. This is largely due to the prevalence of desk jobs and cell phone usage placing the upper back and neck in a forward flexed position, for prolonged periods. This can lead to immobility, trigger points, chronic aching, headaches and shoulder pain. 

Causes of Upper Back Pain

There are a number of systemic conditions that can cause upper back pain, such as fibromyalgia and arthritis. Additionally day to day activities such as repetitive movements of the shoulders, prolonged sitting, poor posture can be common causes of upper back pain. 

Even having a poor ergonomic set up at work can place excess tension on the upper traps and levator scapulae causing trigger points and joint immobility. With each new patient visit at Gallatin Valley Chiropractic, the doctors will spend the needed time to determine each patients specific cause and what can be done to fix it. 

1. Prolonged sitting
   • Sitting for extended periods of time can lead to musculoskeletal issues, poor circulation, tight muscles, bad posture, and create an increased risk of chronic disease.
2. Poor Posture
   • Poor posture can create chronic spinal misalignments, tight muscles, and improper spinal curvatures.  This can lead to muscular strain including potential long-term damage.
3. Overuse of the upper back and shoulders
   • Repetitive movement and stresses to these areas can create muscular fatigue, joint pain, and musculoskeletal dysfunction.
4. Joint Misalignment or dysfunction
   • When joints of the upper back and shoulder blade are not properly aligned, it can lead to further pain as well as arthritis and chronic disease in the future if not treated properly.
5. Trigger points 
   • Trigger points, or myofascial adhesions, are specific points in a muscle body that are hypersensitive and and create pain at that site while the muscle is in use or even at rest.
6. Systemic conditions such as arthritis or fibromyalgia
   • Arthritis can affect individual joints or can be widespread throughout the body, and can cause pain and inflammation.
7. 1st Rib Subluxation
   • A 1st rib subluxation often times creates pain in the upper back but can even cause neck and arm pain with it.  It is often times associated with thoracic outlet syndrome as well.
8. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
   • A compression to the neurovascular plexus such as the brachial plexus, which supplies blood and nerve supply to the arm and hand.  This can cause numbness or tingling of the upper extremity. 

How Gallatin Valley Chiropractic Can Help

The doctors at Gallatin Valley Chiropractic focus on getting to the root of the upper back pain, in order to obtain long lasting pain relief.  Treatment is based on the patient and their individual needs and specific diagnosis.  These treatments can include chiropractic adjustments, as well as soft tissue modalities such as dry needling or Active Release Technique. Our doctors complete extensive continued education training every year so they can continue to deliver the best chiropractic and soft tissue care to each patient. Below are a few of the therapies we at Gallatin Valley Chiropractic has specialized training in and can offer.

• Chiropractic care
• Dry Needling
• Active Release Technique
• IASTM
• SoftWave