| Exercises
For The Upper Back (Pain)
By Shubhanyu Jain
Upper back pain is the pain which surfaces between your neck and
the lower back. Upper backpain may not be as common as its counterpart,
low back pain or lumbar back pain, but it can cause intense pain
when it does surface. The commonest causes of upper back pain include
injury to the muscles (myofascial pain) or ligaments attached to
the vertebrae and joint dysfunction. It may also result from poor
posture over a period of time, a sudden twisting motion, or simply
overuse.
Why Exercise
Your Upper Back?
Doing upper
backpain exercises cam help you in numerous ways. These exercises
can greatly reduce the uneasiness caused by backpain ailments and
help prevent recurrence of upper back pain. Muscle strain is the
major cause of pain in the upper back, and upper backpain exercises
are particularly helpful in such cases.
Upper backpain
exercise, before or after any physical activity, can relax the muscle
tissue leading to reduced tension which helps alleviate strains
and damage to the tissue. Further, upper backpain exercises increase
the spine’s suppleness, which provides for reduced
occurrences of upper back pain and helps relieve back pain if you
are currently suffering from it.
Exercises for
Your Upper Back (Pain)
Here are some
exercises specific to upper back pain. Prolonged use of these exercises
may lead to permanent relief from upper backpain –
use them at your own risk.
Upper Backpain
Exercise 1: Mid Trap
•
Lie on the ground on your stomach and place a pillow under the chest
• Put your arms away from the body making an angle
of 90 degrees with the trunk • Raise your arms
upwards slowly, at the same time squeezing the shoulder blades •
Lower the arms and repeat 10-15 times Upper Backpain Exercise 2:
Pectoralis Stretch • Position yourself in the
doorway and rest your hands on the doorframe •
Lean forward and let the chest muscle stretch, stay like that for
15-20 seconds and let go • Repeat about 5 times
Upper Backpain
Exercise 3: Arm Slides
•
Back up against a wall • Hold the arms along the
wall with palms facing outward • Raise the arms
up and down against the wall to stretch the muscles of the upper
back and arms • Repeat about 15 times
Upper Backpain
Exercise 4: Scapular Squeeze
•
Put the arms up on the side of the body with palms facing forward
and elbows bent • Move stretch the arms backward
as far as possible and stay like that for some time •
Repeat about 15 times
There are also
some general exercises which alleviate upper back pain. Swimming
is one such exercise, as it tends to strengthen the upper back area.
Your physician may also recommend some specific exercises, the purpose
being to increase the strength and suppleness of the upper back.
There are also
other methods to a healthy upper back. A change in posture, proper
sitting/standing/walking technique goes a long way in preventing
a back problem.
When Does Exercise
Itself Become The Cause?
In rare cases,
exercise may be a cause of upper backpain. Athletes often do not
warm up properly and cool down through proper stretching before
and after work outs. Such prolonged misuse may lead to severe back
pain problems in the future.
A healthy upper/lower
back is an asset. Take proper diet, exercise regularly, properly,
stay active. Take care of your upper/lower back, and the back will
back you in the long run.
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