Mid Back Pain: What you need to know

Mid back pain is a very common issue we treat constantly. Understanding the why behind your mid back pain is the key to solving it once and or all.

You need to move and keep moving. Restoring and maintaining your thoracic spine health can not only improve your back pain, but can also improve your athletic performance. Proper spinal movement allows your shoulders and hips do their jobs correctly, preventing injury and degeneration.

Poor thoracic spine mobility is directly linked to mid and upper back pain as well as shoulder problems. We treat mid back pain in our office EVERYDAY and chiropractic care is GREAT for symptomatic relief. But, we want our patients to feel good all of the time and not just after they leave our office!

What is Normal Thoracic Range of Motion?

Your thoracic spine (mid-back) works between your cervical and lumbar spine. It’s job is primarily to flex, extend, and rotate your spine so you can twist & move freely.

Normal ranges of motion in your thoracic spine should be:

Flexion: 40-45 degrees
Extension: 40-45 degrees
Rotation: 45-50 degrees.

In today’s world, most people live in a flexed position from prolonged sitting at desks, on the couch, or in the car. Your thoracic spine is designed to be kyphotic (slightly flexed). This allows it to move in all of the ways it needs to. The problem is when this kyphosis becomes too flexed. It can lead to tension and tightness in your lower neck and shoulders, neck pain, headaches, numbness and tingling in your fingers, low back pain, and more. 

For every inch your ears move in front of your shoulders, 10 lbs of pressure is added to your cervical and thoracic spine! This is important to keep in mind if you’re somebody who is constantly battling any of the symptoms mentioned above.

Our Top 3 Stretches for Mid-Back Pain

Foam Roller Assisted Extension

This is a great stretch to start out with while either warming up for an activity, or cooling down once you’re done. The ideal spot for the foam roller is right over your shoulder blades. Once you’ve positioned yourself for this stretch, slowly extend yourself over the foam roller. You should feel a big stretch through your mid back! 

Try taking some breaths during this stretch to enhance it further.

Avoid using this stretch any lower than your shoulder blades as this can be detrimental to your low back if not performed correctly.

Cat/Camel

This is one of our favorite exercises for maintaining proper spinal health. Take your time and focus on your breathing. If you’re not practicing this move regularly, be sure to give it a try!

Prayer Stretch

This one is amazing and one of our personal favorites! You can use a table, a chair, your bed, a desk, or any type of surface to help achieve a nice deep stretch in your mid back.

Like all stretching/exercising, please do not perform either of these stretches if they cause you pain. Call us instead to find out why the pain is happening.

These stretches are meant to keep your spine moving. Sometimes your spine needs some help getting moving in the first place. That’s where we come in. As chiropractors, our job is to get your spine moving and then maintain it from there!

How We Treat Mid-Back Pain

We use a number of tools and soft tissue techniques to loosen up tight muscles and speed up the healing process. We begin each session with a Hypervolt massage to loosen up tight muscles and relax your body. For any tough areas that need more attention, we use a variety of soft tissue therapy techniques to target tight areas and restore muscular function. Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue therapies are a great tool for unlocking stubborn muscles and preparing your body for chiropractic care.

Most of the time, mid back pain responds very quickly to chiropractic treatment. The main factor to keep in mind is that mid-back pain typically doesn’t happen overnight. It usually comes on over time and is commonly caused by things like poor posture or poor movement mechanics. We specialize in working with our patients to not only fix their mid back pain but also correct the real reasons why it happened in the first place. We use our functional movement approach to analyze the way you move, and fix injuries for good.

One other important factor in mid back pain and thoracic spine stiffness is breathing patterns. If you struggle with mid back stiffness, I can almost guarantee you that you struggle to breathe efficiently. Your mid back supports your rib cage which is designed to move with every breath you take. Improving your breathing patterns can make a drastic difference in your mid back stiffness and overall fitness.

If you’re someone who’s been struggling with mid back pain and are looking for help, you’re in the right place. Give us a call today and talk to one of our doctors to see how we can help!