Upper Back Pain

Should I See A Chiropractor For Upper Back Pain? You might expect a video or article about back pain to be about lower back pain because it’s so often talked about. That may seem ironic when you learn that the upper back is the largest part of the spine, with 12 of the 24 total vertebrae compared to 5 vertebrae in the lower back. The other 7 spinal vertebrae are in the neck. Yet, lower back pain accounts for up to 70 percent of chronic back pain. Still, that leaves nearly 20 percent suffering from upper back pain. Below are several examples of chronic upper back conditions that can be helped through chiropractic treatment.

Though it is less common than lower back pain or neck pain, a study posted to Occupational Medicine indicated that 1 in 10 men and 1 in 5 women might suffer from upper back pain.

Whether people have chronic upper back pain, it forces them to adapt the way they live their daily lives to mitigate the pain. The way they sit, stand, sleep, and do typical physical activities must be adjusted to compensate for the inability to move in normal ways. Fortunately, chiropractic care can help alleviate some of the most common types of upper back pain, like these often successfully treated conditions:

Types of Upper Back Pain Helped by Chiropractic Treatment. Some forms of upper back pain between shoulder blades and other upper back areas can be eliminated or significantly improved by chiropractic treatment or other medical care.

Here are some examples of common upper back pain that can often be helped through chiropractic treatment:

Myofascial Back Condition - The fascia is the connective tissue layer that surrounds muscles and enables smooth interactivity between joints and muscles. It further helps maintain spinal stability, which helps support the entire musculoskeletal system. Your chiropractor can administer treatment for pain related to the myofascial tissue. Myofascial therapy typically features the application of pressure on certain trigger locations in the body’s myofascial system, employing special stretch and release positions to relieve upper back pain and other chiropractic techniques to relieve myofascial pain.

Herniated Thoracic Disc - Thoracic disc herniation is not a common condition, but it’s very painful and can lead to spinal dysfunction. Surgery is not typically a viable treatment because it requires the extremely radical approach of removing a rib to access the injured disk. So, chiropractic treatment, which is always noninvasive, is the superior medical option for this thoracic condition. An experienced chiropractor uses therapeutic techniques to treat thoracic disc herniation that can minimize pain and improve functionality. This medical strategy can allow the body sufficient time for self-healing of the damaged disc.

Thoracic Joint Dysfunction - Chiropractor treatments for upper back conditions can also be applied for relief of pain from thoracic joint dysfunction if the problem involves the upper spine. Thoracic joint dysfunction is not an uncommon condition. That’s predictable because the upper back has more than 200 joints, which is most of the total of just over 300 joints in the entire spine. Among the most effective treatments for thoracic joint dysfunction are chiropractic adjustments to alleviate pain.

Upper Back Pain Relief – Vitality Health Center of White Bear Lake, MN and Dr. John Toth have been helping people in the Twin Cities area overcome upper back pain and related functionality issues for over 20 years. Ask about helpful payment options for treatment.

If you are suffering from upper middle back pain or other upper back pain, call Vitality Health Center at 651-773-9414.

Vitality Health Center serves patients in White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, Gem Lake, Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, Mahtomedi, Maplewood, North St. Paul, Shoreview, Oakdale, Lake Elmo, Woodbury, Arden Hills, North Oaks, Pine Springs, Grant and surrounding areas.