Physical Therapy for Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain puts a real damper on your day. All types of pain are difficult to live with, but upper back pain is one of the hardest to ignore. It affects your posture and ability to walk, sit, and lay down correctly. We never like to hear that our patients are in pain, so we thought we’d throw together some tips for relieving upper back pain.

Physical Therapy

Other than seeing your physical therapist so that they can help you improve your range of motion, strength, core stability, and flexibility, there are other aspects of physical therapy you can add to your routine to relieve upper back pain. Your physical therapist will most likely recommend a workout regimen. Oftentimes, upper back pain is a sign that there is a lack of core strength and good posture. Working out will improve your core strength, which will in turn improve your posture. With these aspects improved, pain in the upper back should decrease.

Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is a great way to release tension in muscles. Releasing tension in the upper back muscles and the surrounding muscles helps to relieve the pain in the upper back. Just be sure to consult your physical therapist before using the foam roller in case they don’t think it’d be best for your treatment (such as in cases of herniated discs).

Here’s how to use a foam roller for upper back pain:

• Lay face-up on top of your foam roller, placing it at your mid-back. Cross your arms over your chest with your elbows pointing to the ceiling. Roll the foam roller up towards your neck, but stop at the base of your neck (do not roll onto your neck.) Roll back down to your mid-back. Repeat rolling over this area until your muscles feel less tight.
• Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted on the ground. Roll your neck side to side on the foam roller. Releasing tension in the neck muscles may relieve pain in your upper back.
• Roll out your glutes and hamstrings also because if anywhere on the backside of your body is tight, it affects other muscles in your backside. To roll out your glutes, sit on the foam roller and shift to the side so that just one glute is on the foam roller. Roll back and forth. To roll out your hamstring, just place the foam roller under one hamstring with your other leg bent and its foot on the floor for stability and simply roll back and forth.

Note: If you’ve never used a foam roller before, go slowly and move carefully. Foam rolling can feel intense for newbies. Your muscles aren’t used to being manipulated in such ways. However, don’t give up on it even if your first couple of times using it are slow and short. The more you use it, the more it gets easier to use and becomes more effective at relaxing muscles.

If you’d like to learn about foam rolling, check out this article https://fitonapp.com/fitness/foam-rolling-why-its-one-piece-of-equipment-you-may-actually-want-to-invest-in/.

Yoga

Yoga is great for strengthening and stretching all areas of the body, especially core and posture muscles. Practicing types of yoga such as vinyasa and restorative yogas will give your muscles a chance to relax while also teaching them to take more physical stress as muscles should.

• However, if you’re not ready to begin practicing yoga for full sessions, here are a few poses to start with to relieve upper back pain:
• Thread the needle
• Child’s pose with side stretches
• Puppy pose
• Dolphin pose
• Supine twist
• Plow pose

Just be sure to complete these yoga poses slowly and carefully. If you aren’t able to complete them “perfectly”, don’t be afraid or ashamed to make modifications that fit your body! For example, if you can’t hold a pose for very long, then go ahead and put your knees down and get out of the pose. Just be sure to listen to your body and try your best.