Pillow Use For Back Sleepers
Sleeping on the back or supine is the most recommended sleep position to get rid of upper middle back pain after sleeping. It does not only promote good neck and spinal posture at rest, but helps relieve pain related to a muscle strain or injury. These conditions include a stiff neck, rotator cuff tear injuries, adhesive capsulitis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Unfortunately, no matter how healthy this sleeping position is, only 8% of the worlds population sleeps in this pose. Like all the sleeping positions, sleeping on the back can also use a little bit of padded support. In this case, its the knees that will benefit a lot from a pillow. When you sleep with knees, spinal cord, and neck muscles extended straight you also risk creating lower back strain. That is because when you sleep, you are pulling your pelvis out of its neutral alignment and into an arched lower back.
By propping a memory foam or regular small pillow under your knees, your legs will bend in a more natural sleeping posture. This sleeping position can also help get rid of severe shoulder pain and upper-middle back pain after sleeping, as it places your body in a more neutral position. If you feel like this position is too uncomfortable, you can prop your head and neck with a memory foam pillow against the mattress. That can ensure that your body is straight while its natural curve is supported.
Avoid Prolonged Static Posture
It is important to pay attention to the joints and muscles of your spine and hip. Prevent fatigue and stresses on these joints by following simple tips, such as:
- Avoid excessive sitting or consider using a standing desk while you work. When you sit for a long duration, the pressure on your spinal discs increase. Aim to get up every hour and walk a short distance to take the load off your discs.
When you have a flare-up of symptoms, consider less exertive activities, such as reading a book, listening to music, or crafting. These activities can help divert your mind from the pain and let your back rest at the same time.
W & Y Stretch & Retract
Targeted muscle: Opens chest muscles & strengthens lower trapsThis exercise both strengthens and stretches all the right posture muscles. And the best thing is that its easy to do it from anywhere even in your office.How to do it: Begin standing with your back straight. Make W shape with your arms. Bend both of arms to about 90 degree angle as you lower them to your stomach area and then squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold for 2 breaths. Make Y shape with your arms by extending both arms up. Hold for 2 breaths. Hold 1-2 at each end point, Aim for 10 repetitions
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Your Upper Back & Neck Posture Is Crucial
Considering that muscle imbalances and poor posture can result from sitting at a computer/looking at smart phones, lets discuss what happens when youre in this position typically, this is what happens:
Your Head will protrude forward Your shoulders will roll forwards Increased Kyphosis
Over time, this abnormal positioning can lead to certain muscles and ligaments being overused , while other muscles and ligaments become underused This can lead to pain.
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Yoga For Upper Back Pain: Five Poses To Relieve A Stiff Sore Back
- Posted On: Jul 8, 2021
Yoga has been around for 5,000 years, yet we are still finding new benefits to this age-old art of movement. Yoga is a mind-body exercise involving muscle control and stretching, practiced by nearly 36 million adults in the United States. Clinical yoga research has yielded promising findings in physical and mental health outcomes. In fact, yoga is now the most popular complementary medicine.
The health benefits of yoga are vast. While most people participate in yoga for fitness, stress relief, and overall wellness, researchers are discovering other advantages. There is improvement in cardio health, fatigue, obesity, and even asthma.
The benefits that our affiliated providers at the National Spine & Pain Centers, are most pleased to see is yoga providing relief for our patients with upper back pain.
Causes of Upper Back Pain
Pain in the upper back, which is roughly from the base of your neck through your shoulders down to your ribs, can occur for any number of reasons. The causes of upper back pain can include:
-Muscle overuse
-Whiplash
Upper Back Pain Symptoms
Upper back pain symptoms are typically discomfort and achiness. You may often feel a dull, burning, or sharp pain, or muscle tightness or stiffness through your neck and the small of your back. If you feel weakness in your arms or legs, numbness, or tingling, it may signify a more serious problem, and you should see a pain management specialist.
Yoga for Upper Back Pain
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Getting Rid Of Muscle Pain In The Upper Arm
A self-massage is often the best, fastest and cheapest way to come to grips with upper arm pain.
Why? Muscle tension and trigger points do not go away by themselves, but can be massaged out of a muscle.
And, most of the time you dont need any outside help.
A self-massage is very effective because you communicate directly with the control centre guiding your muscle tone, namely your nervous system.
Tension in the muscles can be reduced by your nervous system when adequate pressure is applied to the muscles.
How Is Upper And Middle Back Pain Treated
The reason you should definitely see your doctor regarding upper and middle back pain treatment is because the treatment depends on:
- The severity of the symptoms you experience
- How much your symptoms limit your mobility and performance of daily tasks
- How well other treatments have worked .
For the severe and unbearable pain, your doctor may suggest:
- Muscle relaxants which reduce the pain and muscle tension while improving mobility
- Antidepressants to help treat chronic upper and middle back pain
- Steroid injections that reduce the swelling and relieve the pressure on nerves and nerve roots.
- Surgery is only recommended in the most extreme cases when other treatments dont work.
However, most people experience mild to moderate upper and middle back pain whose symptoms can be easily manageable. Here is what you can do:
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How K Health Can Help
There are steps you can take to prevent and treat upper back pain. Did you know you can get affordable primary care with the K Health app? Download K to check your symptoms, explore conditions and treatments, and if needed text with a doctor in minutes. K Healths AI-powered app is HIPAA compliant and based on 20 years of clinical data.
K Health articles are all written and reviewed by MDs, PhDs, NPs, or PharmDs and are for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute and should not be relied on for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.
What If It Still Doesnt Feel Better
You should def talk with your doc if your upper back pain is severe. Its also important to reach out if the pain is chronic
Let them know if home remedies just arent easing the pain. Your doc might suggest medications to soothe the pain or reduce back spasms. They also might recommend physical therapy or chiropractic care.
Some folks also get relief from alternative treatments like massage therapy, dry needle therapy, or acupuncture. Just be sure your doc says its OK first.
Theres plenty you can do to prevent future back attacks. Here are some tips:
- Practice proper posture.
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Upper Back Pain Exercises
Exercise is essential for upper back and neck health because it stimulates blood flow, which helps the discs in your back stay healthy. You can also strengthen the muscles in your upper back with particular exercises.
- Arm Reach: Get down on your hands and knees with your neck and back parallel to the ground. Lift one arm at a time for five seconds without raising your head. Repeat each arm ten times.
- Arm Slides: Stand against a wall with your back, elbows, and wrists. Raise your hands as high as you can while keeping your arms and wrists against the wall, then return to the starting position. Repeat ten times more.
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Back Pains New York Pain Care Can Help
Here at New York Pain Care, we want to help our patients with their back pain so they may return to their daily routines as soon as possible. Our team of high-skilled doctors performs accurate diagnoses for back pain to come up with the best treatment options for each patient.
If youre looking for a way to avoid surgery and relieve back pain, New York Pain Care is the best pain management center for you. Our services include acupuncture, medical massage, and physical therapy to provide each patient with holistic treatments for their condition. Get in touch with us today by calling 846-1824.
Pillow Use For Stomach Sleepers
Stomach sleeping, also known as prone sleeping, is a very problematic sleep posture. Stomach sleepers put too much pressure and unnecessary tension on their rotator cuff tendons, facet joints, stomach, neck, spinal cord, and back muscles. Medical professionals advise patients to avoid it altogether. The sleeping posture also requires the neck to be rotated to one side for breathing purposes, further increasing your risks of getting a stiff neck.
Pillows do not do a good job of support with this position. However, you can try putting a flat pillow under your stomach to increase the length of your lower back curve. This further relaxes the muscles and rotator cuff tendons. You can try propping your head with a pillow to retain your bodys natural alignment during your sleep.
Correct positioning is essential to ease back pain. Although pillows may be effective, they often fall out of place during sleep. The best way to eliminate, or at least curb, upper back pain is to ensure a good nights sleep. That is best achieved by using an adjustable bed frame that can put the spine in a neutral position that does not strain the vertebrae, muscles, or joints. A good mattress is also essential. It should cushion the bodys joints. The best way to avoid upper back pain after sleeping is by ensuring you get a good restorative sleep every night.
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You Were In A Car Accident
If youre able to walk away from a rear end crash and feel OK, you may decide not to get checked out by a doctor. However, whiplasha violent backward-and-forward jerk of the headcan create tears and inflammation of the muscles and ligaments in the neck and upper back, explains Dr. Chang. See your doctor if you suspect whiplash, especially if you have other symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, and pain in your neck.
What Are The Symptoms Of Upper And Middle Back Pain
Person affected by upper and middle back pain usually experiences these symptoms:
- Feeling dull, burning, or sharp pain
- Pain sensation can be felt at one certain point on the back or over a broad area
- It usually starts suddenly and it slowly gets worse
- In some cases, the pain is constant while sometimes it just comes and goes
- It occurs with muscle tightness and stiffness
- The pain aggravates when you do certain activities, or even move or sit in a certain way.
In some cases, affected person may feel symptoms such as:
*All individuals are unique. Your results can and will vary.
- Weakness in arms and legs
- Numbness or tingling in arms, legs, chest or belly
- Loss of bowel or bladder control.
NOTE: If you experience these more serious symptoms along with symptoms of upper and middle back pain described above, you should see your doctor and treat the problem right away.
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Quick Exercises To Help Your Upper Back Pain
Upper back pain, also known as thoracic pain, is a problem many people experience. Individuals work at their computers for hours and dont realize their posture is getting progressively worse. Eventually, this leads to poor posture characterized by rounded shoulders and a forward head. They may start to experience upper back strain, neck pain, lower back pain, and even headaches associated with muscle tightness and weakness.
An important factor to consider is the workplace. A large portion of people who come to physical therapy for upper back pain therapy sit at a desk or on a plane traveling for long periods of time. One piece of advice physical therapists usually give to a patient is to look at their workspace and habits. A standing desk is becoming more popular and people have had good results from using it. If your workplace doesnt offer a standing desk, try limiting your time at the computer. If you lose track of time, set a timer for 15 minutes. Get up, stretch, and walk around each time the timer goes off.
If you decide to try to alleviate your pains without therapy, here are some exercises that Ive used and had good results from. They include self-joint mobilization, stretches, and strengthening exercises. When you sit for long periods of time, the thoracic spine is flexed and you start losing spinal mobility moving into extension these exercises work to combat that.
Quick Relief And Prevention
Chronic upper back and neck pain can become a very serious problem. However, some general soreness in your back and neck area is quite common. There are a few measures you can take for quick relief when this discomfort arises, and some things you can do to try to prevent it altogether.
Use a cold pack and anti-inflammatory pain relief for the first three days after the pain starts. After that, alternate applying heat and cold to your injury. Upper back and neck pain usually erupt suddenly, but healing can take a long time. If youre still in pain and your movement is limited after a month, its time to see your doctor.
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Overview Of Upper Back Pain
The upper back pain is found to occur in all age groups. It is caused mainly due to poor postures, stress, muscle spasms, accidents, degenerative discs, osteoarthritis, myofascial pain and disc herniation. This affects the joints and the interacting muscles. When one joint of muscle is affected, it affects others too, leading to pain and dysfunction. Further, it leads to stiffness in the neck and lower back. Thus, when the upper back pain is felt it should be treated immediately.
Treatment Of Upper Back Pain
If you have upper back pain, its likely to get better by itself without treatment. If its not caused by anything serious, it will probably get better within a few weeks.
You can try some self-care measures such as improving your posture or putting an ice pack or heat pack on the area that hurts. Make sure you wrap this in a towel and dont apply it directly to your skin. You can also take over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol as pain relief for upper back pain. Ask your pharmacist for advice.
If the pain is caused by a particular condition, your treatment will vary depending on the underlying problem thats causing the pain.
Treatments may include medicines, physiotherapy, injections and manual therapies.
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The Pain Is Searing Through Your Chest Too
Numbness or weakness in your arms can be one sign of a strokeor it may also be an indication of a tear in the wall of the aorta, the largest blood vessel in your body that runs in the back of your chest, says Dr. Tien. She adds that youre especially at risk if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure over a long period of time. This can cause a tearing mid-chest and/or back pain, she describes. Just like a stroke, this is an emergency that requires immediate medical care.
When To See A Doctor For Upper Back Pain
While most upper back pain goes away within a few weeks, with or without at-home treatment, this type of pain could require medical attention. So when should you worry about upper back pain, and how do you know if upper back pain is serious? Some serious symptoms, as outlined below, warrant a visit to the doctor.
Contact your doctor for an appointment if discomfort still persists after a week of at-home treatment or if:
- Discomfort has become severe, especially when lying down
- You notice weakness or numbness in one arms or legs
- Pain radiates down one legs
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Heat And Cold Compression
Heat and cold compression are two of the best solutions to shoulder back pain from sleeping on the side. According to numerous scientific studies, applying heat and cold packs to your upper back neck pain together with sleeping with the right pillow and mattress can give immediate pain relief and comfort. Ice packs, in particular, are incredibly efficient in treating injuries such as muscle spasms, neck strain, hip pain, or shoulder joint inflammation. That is because the sudden cold can provide a numbing effect to the problem areas.
A heating or warm pad can also loosen up pain and stiffness on the shoulder joints, neck muscles, knees, hips, or legs. It is essential, however, to follow the instructions that come with the heating pad to ensure safe application. A hot water bottle can be used as an alternative.
