Mid-back pain

WHAT IS MID-BACK PAIN?

This is one of the most common types of discomfort we see here at The Centre. It is often linked with neck/shoulder pain, or even low back pain and is typified by stiffness and discomfort in between or around the shoulder blades / rib cage.  Sometimes the pain can wrap around to the front of the rib cage and if so can often be worse when breathing heavily. 

WHAT CAUSES MID-BACK PAIN

Although it can be painful and disrupting to people’s lives, the good news is (like low back pain) most mid-back pain is lifestyle based, rather than being related to any underlying medical condition. However, if you are concerned it may not be lifestyle based, have had the pain for a considerable time (consistently for more than a couple of months), or have had a recent injury or fall it is important you speak to your doctor first.

If your mid-back pain is lifestyle based, it means it is probably down to a combination of posture, (im)mobility, stress and your exercise / physical activity levels. One of the great things about complementary therapy practitioners is their ability to help you self-manage these aspects of your life, and therefore in conjunction with the appropriate therapy help reduce and manage your discomfort.

SUITABLE THERAPIES

Manual therapies including Sports Massage and Swedish Massage

Acupuncture

Exercise based rehab, such as Movement Coaching

SELF MANAGMENT TECHNIQUES

As with any form of lifestyle musculoskeletal pain, self-management is key to reducing and preventing mid-back pain from reoccurring.

One of my personal favourite self-help tools for clients with mid-back pain is the foam roller, if it’s not something you’ve come across before, they are well worth investigating.  That said you may need some advice on how to use one, so speak to your practitioner first. The next most important thing I find is helping clients to make changes (if possible) to their work environment and how they use their body in it, as this is often a big part of what is influencing any symptoms. This is simply due to the amount of time we spend working. If changing how clients work isn't possible, or it isn't the cause, then simple, suitable exercises to help reduce the discomfort are my next step.

 

Author:

James Barnett