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Upper back pain is the pain which surfaces between your neck and the lower back. Upper backpain may not be as common as its counterpart, low back pain or lumbar back pain, but it can cause intense pain when it does surface.
The commonest causes of upper back pain include injury to the muscles (myofascial pain) or ligaments attached to the vertebrae and joint dysfunction. It may also result from poor posture over a period of time, a sudden twisting motion, or simply overuse.
Why Exercise Your Upper Back?
Doing upper backpain exercises cam help you in numerous ways. These exercises can greatly reduce the uneasiness caused by backpain ailments and help prevent recurrence of upper back pain. Muscle strain is the major cause of pain in the upper back, and upper backpain exercises are particularly helpful in such cases.
Upper backpain exercise, before or after any physical activity, can relax the muscle tissue leading to reduced tension which helps alleviate strains and damage to the tissue.
Further, upper backpain exercises increase the spine suppleness, which provides for reduced occurrences of upper back pain and helps relieve back pain if you are currently suffering from it.
Exercises for Your Upper Back (Pain)
Here are some exercises specific to upper back pain. Prolonged use of these exercises may lead to permanent relief from upper backpain use them at your own risk.
Upper Backpain Exercise 1: Mid Trap
Lie on the ground on your stomach and place a pillow under the chest Put your arms away from the body making an angle of 90 degrees with the trunk Raise your arms upwards slowly, at the same time squeezing the shoulder blades Lower the arms and repeat 10-15 times Upper Backpain Exercise 2: Pectoralis Stretch Position yourself in the doorway and rest your hands on the doorframe Lean forward and let the chest muscle stretch, stay like that for 15-20 seconds and let go Repeat about 5 times
Upper Backpain Exercise 3: Arm Slides
âEUR¢ Back up against a wall âEUR¢ Hold the arms along the wall with palms facing outward âEUR¢ Raise the arms up and down against the wall to stretch the muscles of the upper back and arms âEUR¢ Repeat about 15 times
Upper Backpain Exercise 4: Scapular Squeeze
âEUR¢ Put the arms up on the side of the body with palms facing forward and elbows bent âEUR¢ Move stretch the arms backward as far as possible and stay like that for some time âEUR¢ Repeat about 15 times
There are also some general exercises which alleviate upper back pain. Swimming is one such exercise, as it tends to strengthen the upper back area. Your physician may also recommend some specific exercises, the purpose being to increase the strength and suppleness of the upper back.
There are also other methods to a healthy upper back. A change in posture, proper sitting/standing/walking technique goes a long way in preventing a back problem.
When Does Exercise Itself Become The Cause?
In rare cases, exercise may be a cause of upper backpain. Athletes often do not warm up properly and cool down through proper stretching before and after work outs. Such prolonged misuse may lead to severe back pain problems in the future.
A healthy upper/lower back is an asset. Take proper diet, exercise regularly, properly, stay active. Take care of your upper/lower back, and the back will back you in the long run.
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