Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Pain between your shoulder blades?

Have you ever experienced a continuous, nagging pain between your shoulder blades that just won’t go away? No matter what you try, it continues to keep tormenting you. Well, throughout this article, you will gain a better understanding of some of the causes of mid-back pain and what can be done to prevent it.

Common causes of mid-back pain

Mid-back pain can be due to a vertebral subluxation (misalignment of spinal bones). These subluxations of the spinal vertebrae cause endangering stress to your nervous system. When spinal vertebrae become misaligned even slightly, or lose their normal mobility, nerves can be irritated or damaged. Subluxation is a common contributing factor for mid-back pain.

Throughout the mid-back, ribs join the thoracic spine. Normally, the ribs have a regular motion with each breath we take. If a subluxation occurs, the normal motion is impaired or halted. People who experience a subluxation can have intense pain in the mid-back while breathing, lying down, or common movements associated with daily activities.

Many people who are affected by increased stress experience enormous tension in the muscles of the mid-back region. These stresses cause the muscles to contract. This can lead to chronic pain syndromes and weakening of the muscles. This stress can rapidly bring your spine out of alignment.

Often times, simply ignoring that little twinge or spasm and continuing with your work for a few more hours can lead to overexertion. This can lead to strained muscles, sprained joints, excessive pressure on the intervertebral discs, and ultimately pain.

With the information age now upon us, there has been an enormous increase in computer use. Associated with computer use, there are three common forms of postural faults which can cause mid-back pain. These include; slouching, forward head carriage and rounded shoulders.

Slouching multiplies the already stressful forces placed on your spine by gravity which tremendously increases the pressure on your spine. Slouching can cause the discs in between you spinal vertebrae to push backwards, potentially causing a herniated disc. It also over-stretches the postural muscles which support your spine.

Forward head posture occurs when your head and your ears are positioned in front of your shoulders. With proper head posture your ears should be aligned directly over your shoulders. Forward head posture causes the muscles at the base of the head and neck to tighten, restricting blood flow to your head, and also your arms. The muscles at the base of the head and neck will tighten and press on nerves. This can cause headaches, neck pain, and possibly pain in your arms and hands.

Rounded shoulders occur when your shoulders are not aligned directly over your hips and below your ears. This posture will cause undue stress on the shoulder tendons and subsequent tightening of the upper arm muscles.

Postural muscles

Maintaining good posture is important for a healthy mid-back. Whether you are working at your computer, driving a car, reading a book, knitting, or sitting at a meeting, you should always remember to be aware of your back. The spine is not an inflexible rod as some people may believe. In fact, it is quite flexible. Of course, the spine supports the body and all its organs. But, it also protects the sensitive and delicate spinal cord and spinal nerves which act as the intelligence line to the body.

Some of the muscles in your back, neck and stomach regions help to maintain a correct posture. The function of these muscles is to sustain your upright position for long periods of time. They are perfectly designed for this function. You can strengthen and tone these muscles, which will help you maintain good posture for long periods of time, and be more productive at work or play.

The following changes may improve your productivity for longer periods of time while you are seated:

• Always try to sit an inch taller than normal.

• Align your ears directly over your shoulders.

• Align you shoulders directly over your hips.

• Position you head evenly between both shoulders, not tilted to one side.

• When looking down, your head should be positioned over you neck and not in front of you shoulders.

Mid-back pain and chiropractic

The premise of chiropractic has always been to remove vertebral subluxations from the spine. Chiropractors analyze the spine for vertebral subluxations. Getting a periodical checkup is critical even if you feel fine. You can not feel vertebral subluxation. You only feel the effects of vertebral subluxation. When you experience pain in you mid-back, delaying proper care is dangerous and can result in major health problems. If you experience mid-back pain, chiropractic may help the cause of your pain, which may have been overlooked or ignored.

— Dr. Ryan Napp

(This information is written for educational purposes and any questions should be discussed with a health care professional. Dr. Ryan Napp is a chiropractor at Napp Chiropractic Center in Fayetteville. For more information call 770-716-5228.)