Dealing with aching, stiffness, and limited mobility in your upper back? Upper back pain is one of the most common complaints among adults. The causes can range from poor posture to underlying spinal conditions. The good news is that massage therapy can be an effective way to find relief. Getting frequent massages tailored to the upper back can ease muscle tension, improve circulation, mobilize joints, and reduce both acute and chronic pain in this area.
The right techniques applied by a professional massage therapist can bring progressively greater benefits over time. Here are some of the likely culprits:. Slumping forward can strain the muscles between the neck and shoulders. Heavy computer use and hunching over phones and tablets puts extra stress on the upper back. When muscles like the trapezius and rhomboids become tense and knotted up, it can cause local or referred pain.
Trigger points can form in the upper back area as well. Lifting something too heavy or a sudden fall can injure the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the upper back. Even small tears and inflammation generate pain. Degeneration of the spinal joints in the upper back region can lead to stiffness, achiness, and reduced range of motion. This occurs with age but can also be sports-related. Problems with the vertebrae, discs, nerves, or spinal alignment in the upper back may show up as pain, numbness, or weakness in the shoulders, arms, or hands.
Common culprits include herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and nerve compression. The upper back pain symptoms can vary from mild muscle soreness to more severe debilitating pain, depending on the underlying cause. Typical sensations include aching, stiffness, tightness, spasms, strained muscles, trigger points, reduced mobility, and difficulty lifting the arms or turning the neck. Massage therapy provides multiple benefits that directly target the mechanisms behind upper back pain:.
This combination of physical and psychological benefits makes massage effective for relieving both acute and chronic upper back pain. It can provide immediate symptomatic relief as well as address the underlying muscular dysfunction. The key is receiving regular massages over a period of time. Of course, massage is not a cure-all, and severe injuries or spinal conditions may also require medical treatment. But used consistently, massage can reduce reliance on pain medication, enhance healing, and prevent future problems.
