Mid Back Pain

Common Causes of Mid Back Pain

While many items can fall into one of the following categories, mid back pain is commonly the result of one of three general causes. These include sedentary lifestyle choices, heavy baggage, and diseases.

Sedentary Lifestyle Choices

Whether at home or work, Americans are more sedentary than ever. Since we spend as many as 60 hours per week sitting at a desk, we’re much more susceptible to the affects of poor posture. Lack of movement further intensifies these problems.

The natural tendency most people have when looking at a computer screen is to bend their heads forward and down. While a sore neck is an immediate result of this posture, it isn’t the only one. The spine must bear an additional 10 pounds of pressure for each inch the neck is shifted forward. Since the spine connects the head, neck, and back, these 10 pounds of pressure can lead to pain in any of these regions, including the mid back.

Sitting relatively still for hours is detrimental to overall health because the body was designed for movement. Sedentary living causes poor circulation of nutrients and oxygen that help heal damaged mid back muscles. The nerves also suffer and don’t communicate efficiently, so that the pain may feel more intense or altered.

Heavy Baggage

A sedentary lifestyle is a significant problem, but so is moving incorrectly. Carrying large backpacks, purses, and computer bags place a lot of strain on the upper and mid back. Since many people carry their bag on one shoulder, one side of the mid back must carry an average of six additional pounds or the weight of the average bag.

Diseases

Some diseases tend to cause mid back pain. An excellent example is scoliosis. Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine develops an exaggerated curve toward one side. Since it most frequently develops around the teenage years, those with scoliosis often have complex mid back pain due to carrying heavy backpacks with a diseased spine.

Occasionally, our chiropractor for mid back pain will encounter a patient who has sudden mid back pain without a discernible cause. This pain is often located slightly right of center between the shoulder blades and is typically caused by gallbladder disease. Some other conditions that can cause a painful mid back include arthritis, osteoporosis, and spinal stenosis.

Symptoms of Mid Back Pain

Although it’s not as widely discussed as lower back pain, mid back pain has just as much impact on our patients’ lives. Symptoms can begin suddenly or occur gradually over time. The following are some of the more common symptoms of mid back pain:

• Stiffness or rigidity, especially in the morning
• Sharp pain, especially under the shoulder blade
• Pain, numbness, or tingling that moves from the mid back through the arms, chest, or other areas
• Urinary incontinence

Health Evaluation

Here at West Suburban Wellness, our chiropractors always begin with a detailed health evaluation. We scrutinize our patients’ medical records and carefully analyze the information they tell us. We then conduct a thorough physical examination followed by various nerve and muscular function tests. If a patient’s condition requires further evaluation, we perform one or more scans.

Chiropractic Adjustments

Chiropractic adjustments are more than “cracking the back” to get patients out of pain. Since the nerves that control movement and feeling in the mid back all come from the spinal cord, the spine needs to be in optimal alignment for the mid back to function well. When the spine isn’t in alignment, the nerves can become compressed, and signals between the brain and mid back for pain and movement are delayed, missing, or altered.

During spinal adjustment, our mid back pain chiropractor gently repositions each spinal segment or vertebra into its healthiest alignment. When proper spinal alignment is restored, the spinal and mid back nerves can communicate freely with the brain. This consistent and accurate communication helps the brain send needed healing resource to the mid back and encourage healthy alignment.

Guided Exercise

Here at West Suburban Wellness, our mid back pain chiropractor firmly believes that gentle and frequent movement is one of the top ways to promote health. Our sedentary culture makes it hard to get and stay healthy in a body that was designed for movement. While most of us don’t spend our days trying to outrun wild animals, we can all benefit from daily strategic activity.

While walking as much as possible is helpful, our team creates mid back health programs for our patients. The exercises chosen for these programs are designed to strengthen weakened areas and relieve tension. When patients know their exercise routine, we prescribe it for them to perform at home.

Ergonomics Coaching

While our patients tell us they feel better when they leave our office, we know how quickly that feeling can fade amid workday challenges. Therefore, we help our patients find better ways to do what they need to do every day. Whether it’s some easy desk stretches, a mid-back-friendly desk set-up, or some energizing snacks, we’re confident we can help you live better at work. After all, earning a living shouldn’t rob you of your quality of life.

Mid Back Pain Chiropractic Treatment for You

If you or a loved one has a painful mid-back, chiropractic mid-back pain treatment might be an excellent choice for your situation. Our experienced and encouraging staff here at West Suburban Wellness are waiting to help. Please stop searching the internet for a “mid-back pain chiropractor near me,” and call us today for a mid-back pain relief consultation.