Upper Back and Neck Pain Explained
Author: JustinBeartoes Total views: 10 Word Count: 520
There are many types of back pain. Upper back and neck pain is just one of many. As many of us know, this can happen to anyone at anytime. Neck and upper back pain is just as painful and as troublesome as lower back pain.
Usually injury or strains are the most common reasons for back problems that originate in the upper parts of our backs. Sometimes you can get a pinched nerve that causes upper back pain and one problem when that happens is headaches. Concentration, enthusiasm, and mood is affected by this type of pinched nerve.
Although upper back pain is not as common as lower back pain but it still affects many people. Let's first discuss what the upper back is made of. The upper back is composted of the thoracic spine. The thoracic spine consists of 12 vertebrae. These vertebrae are connected with 9 of the 12 rib bones. The breast bone is perpendicular to the thoracic spine. Rib bones are also connected to the breast bone. The thoracic cage consists of the breastbone, ribs and the thoracic spine. Thoracic means "chest" All of the upper organs are protected by the chest cage.
Although considered rare upper back does occur. You are going to learn the causes, symptoms and remedies that will help you to understand and relieve the pain.
Now the thoracic spine exists to help stabilize the body and protect the organs. It is stronger than the lumbar spine (lower back) and the cervical spine (neck). What helps the body move and flex are the cervical and lumbar spines, while the thoracic spine is there for stability and strength. This is a reason why most of the injuries are in the cervical and the lumbar spinal regions.
The two major causes of neck and upper back pain or thoracic spine pain are mysofascial pain and joint dysfunctional pain. Myofasical pain is a muscular irritation. This results from muscle strains, from sports and other activities, over and under use of the muscle, sudden movements like being thrown forward in a car accident. This primarily affects the large muscles that support the shoulder blades.
Joint Dysfunction is a malfunction of the two joints that connect each rib to the thoracic spine. The ribs are connected to the spine on either side by joints. Any injury to one or even both joints can cause a loss of function and cause severe pain.
Myofacial pain can be treated by deep tissue massage, chiropractic manipulation of the spine (chiropractic back pain case studies), physical therapy for the upper back pain and acupuncture or acupressure for the upper back pain. One should definitely exercise, stretching and strengthening the shoulder muscles. This helps in developing strength in the upper back.
Joint dysfunction can be treated by chiropractic manipulation (chiropractic back pain case studies of cure), exercise (aerobic), and medication to help relieve pain, steroid injections to target sites of pain.
A medical physician can also assist you in treating the cause of the upper back and neck pain as well as pain management. Other professionals such as physical therapist, orthopedic surgeons and chiropractic professional can also be lots of help.
My Articles Directory Free Web Content Provider
About the Author
Download your FREE report on how to relieve your back pain now! No longer suffer with thoracic back pain. YOu can also find info on Laser Laminectomy in Houston.
Copy and Paste Article Code.
Remember: The article body, title, author bio and links may not be changed or removed. By publishing this article, you agree to all the terms in our Terms of Service.