Upper back pain may be caused by a number of things including joint irritation, poor posture or a mal-positioned rib. All types of conditions can refer pain to other areas. For example, rib pain can travel around to the front of the chest and is aggravated by deep breaths.

Pain will generally be located between the shoulder blades and anywhere from the base of the head and neck to the tip of the shoulders. People often describe this as constant arching in the middle of upper back region. The pain is usually relieved by activity and made worse by repetitive activity (sitting at a desk, driving, etc).

The imbalance between the front and back muscles of the neck and back are often accentuated by various work posture that emphasize a “hunched”, forward-head position. The large pectoral (chest) muscles become chronically “shortened” and tight in response to this sustained position. Meanwhile, the muscles in between the shoulder blades are weak and constantly strained from overuse having to support this hunched posture. This results in pain, loss of motion in the neck, upper back and shoulders, scar tissue formation and misalignments in the corresponding joints.

Treatment is aimed at minimizing pain, correcting the muscular imbalances and re-storing the normal motion to the neck, upper back and shoulder complex using Functional Rehabilitation, Targeted Soft Tissue Therapy, Physiotherapy Chiropractic and Acupuncture. Treatment and/or prevention of these aches and pains is accomplished by redesigning the work environment making it ergonomically efficient, taking frequent break throughout the day for stretching, varying your task to avoid repetition and mousing with your non-dominant hand at a computer.