When it comes to back pain, low back pain tends to take center stage. And indeed, the most common culprits of back pain are either the low back or the neck. But what about all that space in between?
The area of your spine between your neck and low back is called your thoracic spine. It’s a bit more stable and less prone to injury than other areas of the spine because it’s connected to your ribs and sternum. This also makes the thoracic spine less mobile than the neck or low back. Most commonly upper back pain is due to muscular strain or overuse usually caused by poor posture and/or repetitive activity.
The muscles that work in the thoracic area include:
Trapezius: Near your shoulder blade, helps you stand straight and perform throwing motions
Rhomboids: Adjacent to the trapezius, supports your shoulders and helps you perform pulling motions
Latissimus dorsi: Lower on your back, helps with arm movements and breathing
Posture
With more people working from home and sitting in unusual or suboptimal positions, we’ve been seeing a lot more patients with upper back pain. Most workplaces put some effort into providing their employees with an ergonomic set-up, but literally overnight many people had to start working from their living room, their kitchen counter or their dining table.
Often with these types of musculoskeletal constraints, people change the way they move in order to adapt to and avoid pain, which can lead to chronic issues. The good news is that because upper back pain is usually muscular, with the proper exercises those muscles can be strengthened and stretched to relieve and prevent pain.
Maintaining good posture throughout the day is the best way to prevent and relieve upper back pain. Keep your shoulders relaxed down away from your ears especially when performing prolonged tasks, such as working at a computer and driving. Set a timer to go off every 15-30 minutes to remind you to check in with your posture, straighten your upper back, and relax your shoulders if they’ve crept up toward your ears!
If you’re working from home, optimize your workspace! The truth is, work-from-home is here to stay. Having a space that facilitates proper posture while working will take a huge weight off your back — literally!
Movement
Combined with poor posture, lack of movement contributes to upper back pain. While working in an office you may have moved more often — walking down the hall to get a drink, use the restroom, print a document, or talk to a colleague about a shared project. Working from home, you likely don’t have as far to go to take care of the essentials, and it’s much easier to get caught up in your work and forget to take a break. Breaking up your workday with movement is crucial! It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just getting up to walk around and stretch a bit will help. If you’d like more guidance, talk to your health providers. Equilibrium providers are sharing exercises and movement routines on our social media, so that’s one place to start!
Along with movement, at-home soft tissue mobilization can help. In between Equilibrium massages, foam roll a few times a week to help relieve tight muscles. You can also make use of a Theracane for an at-home shoulder massage to help loosen upper trapezious tension and tightness. Talk to Equilibrium providers for more information and personalized care!