Dealing with upper back pain that limits your ability to do the things you love? While there are several potential culprits responsible for upper back pain, they all share one common thread: the spine. And at SoCal Neck & Back Injury Center in Los Angeles, CA, treating upper back pain is one of our specialties. To help you better understand what might be causing your pain and how we can help you find relief, we explain four of the most common causes of upper back pain below.
Poor Posture
When you repetitively sit with poor posture, the muscles in your upper back can become weak and deconditioned, which negatively affects their ability to support your thoracic spine. When your spine doesn’t have the support it requires to maintain a neutral alignment, you may experience excess pressure on your spinal vertebrae and discs, which causes discomfort.
Accident-Related Injuries
The excessive force generated by vehicular collisions can cause trauma to the upper back, which can strain and even damage spinal vertebrae, discs, nerves, muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues. Trauma from a fall or sports collision can have a similar effect on the upper back, which may result in persistent aching or acute upper back pain.
Overuse Injury
When you force your upper back to perform more work than it’s accustomed to, the soft tissues throughout the area may experience inflammation as a result. While inflammation isn’t always bad, it can certainly cause pain, especially as your muscles and other soft tissues move through the healing process. Ligament sprains and muscle strains are also common in individuals who suddenly use their upper back more than normal.
Improper Lifting Technique
Lifting heavy objects without paying close attention to the alignment of your spine can put excessive stress on your upper back. As a result, you may experience soft tissue strains or sprains, and in more severe cases, excess pressure on your spinal discs, all of which cause persistent upper back discomfort.
Chiropractic Treatment for Upper Back Pain
Our chiropractor will first perform a comprehensive physical evaluation to determine the cause of your pain. Using gentle, manual chiropractic adjustments and various other treatment modalities including acupuncture and massage therapy, our chiropractor will work to correct any spinal misalignments and promote soft tissue healing.
Depending on the severity of your condition, you may require treatment for several weeks to alleviate the pain. When your body has healed, you may require ongoing treatments at less frequent intervals to ensure your spine remains properly aligned and the soft tissues in your upper back remain healthy.
Schedule Upper Back Pain Treatment at SoCal Neck & Back Injury Center
If you’re living with chronic or acute upper back pain, get in touch with our team at SoCal Neck & Back Injury Center today. Our chiropractor specializes in a variety of treatment modalities designed to help alleviate your pain and get your body on the road to healing. To learn more about your treatment options or schedule an appointment, call our Los Angeles, CA office today at (323) 375-5147 or connect with us online, and we’ll be in touch!