Upper Back Pain
What causes Upper Back Pain?
The rib cage, which expands from the front near your chest all the way to your back near your shoulder blade, can become more prominent if an individual rib stops moving correctly or get pushed into the wrong position. This is what a Chiropractor refers to as a rib subluxation, which isn't the same as the medical care definition. Regardless of definition, the symptoms are typically that there is pain to the side of the spine resulting in shoulder blade pain and/or upper back pain that is very precise and focal.
What we MUST know first
Most patients who need help with these complaints can point to the exact spot where they are experiencing this upper back pain. The pain can range between very sharp and stabbing, to a more persisting ache quality of pain.
Depending upon the reasons for your back, rib or shoulder pain complaints, there are circumstances when alternative care is not an appropriate. Should a particular condition in present health history prevent the option of providing a patient with chiropractic adjustment, and muscle massage work, then an outside referral to a provider more suited for that patient is needed.
Be sure to inform any chiropractor of any diseases, or more serious medical conditions, that may contribute to your mid-upper back pain prior to treatment. This information could be imperative to ensuring the care you receive is not a contraindication to a method of treatment. It is your responsibility to ensure we are made aware of any medical condition that may support a decision for outside referral, or obtaining from a specific modality of treatment.