What Can I Take For Upper Back Pain

Preventing Upper Back Pain

While back pain is common, its possible to lower your risk of getting musculoskeletal back pain. Here are some tips:

• Practice good posture. Sit and stand up straight. When you sit, position your hips and knees at 90 degrees.
• Exercise.Cardio and resistance training will strengthen your back muscles and lower your risk of injury.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight can place stress on the back.
• Quit or avoid smoking. This will help you quickly heal after a back injury. Quitting is often difficult, but a doctor can help you develop a smoking cessation plan right for you.

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 Could Be The Cause Of Upper Back Pain

Not all back pain is created equal, so its important to understand and identify the exact problem area in order to begin working towards relief. The upper back comprises the area of the spine beginning at the base of the neck, extending to the bottom of the ribcage.

Compared to other areas of the back , the upper back is less prone to injury. And while youre less likely to injure or feel irritation in your upper back, getting familiar with potential causes and treatments for this area of the back can help in the long run.

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Stretches For Upper Back Pain

Because tight muscles are likely the source of much of your pain, stretching is perhaps the most obvious method to remove upper back pain. Always warm-up before any exercises or stretches that you may perform for pain relief.

• Shoulder Roll: Roll your shoulders forward, forming smaller circles as you go. Ten times in a row, then ten times in the opposite direction.
• Butterfly: Your left palm should be on your left shoulder, and your right palm should be on your right shoulder. With your elbows together, hold for five seconds until you feel a stretch in your upper back. Repeat ten times more.

What Are The Symptoms Of Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain symptoms can vary greatly depending on the underlying cause. Most people describe upper back pain as a burning or pulling sensation in one place, which may be at the location of an injury or strain. For some, the pain might be mild and go away within a couple of days but for others, the pain can worsen and interfere with daily tasks.

Common upper back pain symptoms can include one or more of these:

If upper back pain becomes intense enough, it can affect normal activities. The pain can interfere with the ability to lift moderately heavy objects, throw a ball, sit comfortably, or even rest.

If any of the following accompanies upper back pain, the patient should see a doctor immediately:

• Problems with balance or walking.
• Difficulty with bladder or bowel control.
• Pins-and-needles tingling, weakness, or numbness anywhere in the upper back or below, such as in the chest, stomach, buttock, or down the legs.
• Trouble breathing.
• Fever or chills.
• Severe headache.

Any upper back pain that follows a high-impact event, such as an auto accident or a fall from a ladder, should be evaluated by a doctor.

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Fixing Upper Back And Neck Pain

• When to see a doctor

Overview

Upper back and neck pain can stop you in your tracks, making it difficult to go about your typical day. The reasons behind this discomfort vary, but they all come down to how we hold ourselves while standing, moving, and most important of all sitting.

Neck and upper back pain can limit your movements and capabilities. If you dont do anything about your pains, they can get worse, spread, and limit you further. This is usually because the muscles around your immediate area of pain have tensed up to protect that one spot. That expansion limits movement and can turn one clenched muscle under your shoulder blade into a painful shoulder and a tension headache.

Causes of upper back and neck pain include:

• improperly lifting something heavy

Our love of screens is also a likely culprit in upper back and neck pain. Sitting all day working on a computer screen, craning your neck to read the news on your phone on the way home, and slumping on the couch to watch several hours of television are great ways to throw your body out of alignment.

Like many health conditions, the effects of neck and back pain can be more severe in people who smoke or are overweight. Excess weight can add more pressure on the muscles.

What You Can Do

Often you can stay home: There are many effective home remedies for upper back pain relief. A typical episode of muscle strain usually lasts only a few days, explains Dr. Chang. Staying comfortable during this time is key. He suggests resting, icing, and taking anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or naproxen.

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When Upper Back Symptoms Need Medical Attention

If upper back pain is accompanied by any of the following, it should be checked by a doctor immediately:

• Problems with balance or walking
• Difficulty with bladder or bowel control
• Pins-and-needles tingling, weakness, and/or numbness anywhere in the upper back or below, such as in the chest, stomach, buttock, or down the legs
• Trouble breathing

The Problem With Taking Anti

If you’re dealing with gas, it’s typically recommended to take 40 to 125 milligrams of simethicone four times daily as needed, after meals and at bedtime, according to the NLM. But keep in mind that the drug does not treat the underlying cause of excessive gas.

In other words, taking simethicone for an occasional case of gas or bloating is perfectly fine. But if you’re using it to fight flatulence every day, that could mean you have a larger GI problem that needs to be addressed.

“Gas is a very common symptom seen in patients with irritable bowel syndrome,” Dr. Pothuri says.

You might also have trouble digesting particular foods or enzymes, like lactose or gluten . Some people with excessive gas also have issues with foods containing FODMAPs, a type of hard-to-digest sugar found in certain fruits and vegetables.

Sometimes these underlying culprits can be severe. Inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, vascular disease of the gut, motility disorders of the stomach or intestines, celiac disease, pancreatic insufficiency, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and even some GI cancers can all cause an increase in gas along with other GI symptoms, Dr. Pothuri says.

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Diagnosis Of Upper Back Pain

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and examine you. They may then be able to diagnose and explain the cause of your back pain or they may need to refer you for some tests. Upper back pain is often caused by muscle strain, but sometimes there might be a more serious cause. There are particular symptoms your doctor will look for that may indicate this. They call these red flags and they include:

• a recent injury to your back such as a car accident or a fall
• back pain caused by a minor injury or lifting something heavy particularly if you have osteoporosis
• if youve had cancer or you have a weakened immune system
• other symptoms such as a fever, unexplained weight loss and chills
• a recent bacterial infection
• if youre younger than 20 or older than 50

Your doctor will also ask you about the pain to understand how severe it is and what could be causing it. It can also mean a red flag if:

• symptoms havent eased despite changing position or resting
• youve had pain for more than two weeks despite having treatment
• you have pain that you dont think has been caused by a sprain or strain in your upper back
• you are very stiff in the morning
• you have pain all the time and its getting worse

Your doctor may ask if youve had any weakness in your legs, or any bladder and bowel problems such as incontinence. This may point towards pressure on the nerves in your spine or spinal cord, which could be caused by a slipped disc or injury.

Imaging And Blood Tests

Most people do not need additional testing however, sometimes doctors order tests to rule out a specific cause for your pain or to confirm a cause for your back pain. Your doctor may order the following.

• X-rays only show bones and can help diagnose:
• Broken bones or fractures.
• Changes due to aging.
• Changes in the alignment of the spine.

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What Can Go Wrong

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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Drugs Medications And Injections For Upper Back Pain

Your upper back pain may require medications and / or spinal injections to reduce the pain. The doctor will need to make a diagnosis in order to best and most effectively treat your pain. Is it caused by a muscle problem? Is there a problem with your spinal joints? Is there inflammation?

Your upper back pain may require medications and / or spinal injections to reduce the pain. Photo Source: 123RF.com.

With that information, the doctor can better prescribe medications or spinal injections. Medications and injections should always be part of a larger treatment plan that addresses the entire problem. Because medications and injections just treat the painand not the underlying cause of the painyou need to use other treatment options to treat what’s causing the pain.

The goal of medications and injections is to relieve your upper back pain enough so that you can go about your daily life and get other treatments for the underlying cause .

There’s a progression to medications and injections: You don’t start with the highest dose of the strongest medicine. Instead, you’ll probably start with over-the-counter medications. If those work to sufficiently relieve your pain, great. If they don’t, the doctor may prescribe something stronger.

Injections are typically used as the last option because they use very powerful medications.

Symptoms Of Upper Back Pain

Symptoms can vary from person to person and depend on whats causing the pain. The pain can be mild or more severe. You might have sharp pain in one particular spot or a general achiness that comes and goes. Back pain that doesnt have a clear or known cause is called non-specific back pain.

If your back pain is significantly affecting your daily activities or stopping you from getting a good nights sleep, see your physiotherapist or GP.

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General Guidelines For Treating Upper Back Pain

The upper back is considered an area of stability in the spine. This is because the thoracic spine houses the bodys internal organs through its connection with the rib cage. Thus, the innate stiffness of the thoracic spine is an important quality to adequately protect the trunk. Many of the problems that stem from the mid back are actually caused by stiffness that develops in the neck or lower back. This forces the thoracic spine to adapt, causing it to move more than it should with normal daily activities. Additionally, weaknesses in the core and shoulder blades, and poor posture are other primary reasons for onset of pain. Most treatment options are focused on addressing these imbalances.

Urgent Advice: Ask For An Urgent Gp Appointment Or Get Help From 111 If:

You have back pain and:

• a high temperature
• you’ve lost weight without trying to
• there’s a lump or swelling in your back or your back has changed shape
• the pain does not improve after resting or is worse at night
• the pain is made worse when sneezing, coughing or pooing
• the pain is coming from the top of your back , rather than your lower back

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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.

Exercise And Physical Therapy

Bed rest, which used to be what doctors advised for back pain, may do more harm than good. It could slow your recovery and cause new problems.

With acute pain, you should be able to start normal, easy activity, like walking, within a few days. After that, gradually ramp back up to your usual exercise level.

Strengthening both your abdominal and back muscles helps stabilize your spine. Pilates exercises build these core muscles. You can help prevent further back injury by learning — and doing — gentle stretching exercises and the right way to lift things.

Exercising in the water is especially safe for a sore back. The water supports some of your weight, which can make you more comfortable, and it offers gentle resistance, which builds your strength. Aquatic therapy can make you more flexible and lessen pain for chronic low back problems.

Yoga may help your flexibility, strength, and sense of balance. It’s good for stress relief, which will also help you deal with the pain.

Physical therapy focuses on managing or preventing injuries or disabilities. PT helps relieve pain, promote healing, and restore function and movement.

Your treatment plan may involve visits to a specialist called a physical therapist. They focus on easing pain with passive or active therapy. Examples of passive physical therapy include:

• Manual therapies

Examples of active physical therapy include:

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