Best Upper Back Stretches in 2022 for Back Pain!

Upper Back Pain can become debilitating and extremely annoying when it continues to annoy you throughout the day. Our practitioners have put together for you the Top 3 Upper Back Stretches that will help alleviate and minimise your Upper Back pain!

Upper Back Erector Spinae Stretch (Upper Back Muscles)
Procedure: (2 variations)

• (Standing) Standing upright “hug yourself”
• Curl your upper body towards your stomach
  
• (Seated) sitting in a chair or on a floor “hug yourself”
• Curl your upper body towards your stomach

Recommended Tasks:

• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
• Perform the stretch 3 times.
• Rest for 15-30 seconds between stretches.
• Complete this stretch twice per day.
  Special Instructions:
  • Take the muscle to a point of gentle and comfortable pulling
  • If you feel increasing tightness, discomfort or pain, ease off the stretch until you find a point your muscle can relax
  • Breathe normally throughout, focusing on relaxation

Latissimus Dorsi Stretch (Unilateral Upper back stretch)
Procedure: (2 variations)

• (Standing/Seated) Move your arm over your head (scratch your back)
• With the other arm push backwards just below the elbow

• (Forward Lean) Place your arms forward onto a support (wall, chair, bench)
• Gently drop your chest and trunk, between your arms, toward the floor.
  

Recommended Tasks:

• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
• Perform the stretch 3 times.
• Rest for 15-30 seconds between stretches.
• Complete this stretch twice per day.
  Special Instructions:
  • Stop if Pins and needles, numbness or paraesthesia begins to occur during the stretch
  • Take the muscle to a point of gentle and comfortable pulling
  • If you feel increasing tightness, discomfort or pain, ease off the stretch until you find a point your muscle can relax
  • Breathe normally throughout, focusing on relaxation

Teres Minor/Major Stretch (Lat Stretch)
Procedure: (2 variations)

• (Standing/Seated Ver.1) Move the arm (side needed to be stretched) underneath your opposite armpit
• Pull with your other hand from the elbow directly outwards
  
• (Standing/Seated Ver.2) Move your arm over your head (scratch your back)
• With the other arm pull your arm to the opposite side (holding just below the elbow)
  

Recommended Tasks:

• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
• Perform the stretch 3 times.
• Rest for 15-30 seconds between stretches.
• Complete this stretch twice per day.
  Special Instructions:
  • Stop if Pins and needles, numbness or paraesthesia begins to occur during the stretch
  • Take the muscle to a point of gentle and comfortable pulling
  • If you feel increasing tightness, discomfort or pain, ease off the stretch until you find a point your muscle can relax
  • Breathe normally throughout, focusing on relaxation

*Note: If you are suffering from severe Upper back pain, shooting pains down the arms, difficulty deep breathing, troubles lifting limbs due to soreness, headaches or migraines and need more than just a good stretch our team of practitioners are always happy to help and bookings are available online 7 days a week!

https://themelbournechiropractor.com.au/book-now

What Can Our Team Do To Help?

Depending on the severity of the injury or area of concern our practitioners will treat accordingly to your complaint. Treatments that may be provided but are not limited to include:

• Spinal manipulation, Activator Methods, Drop Piece, SOT and other adjustive techniques can help alleviate joints that have restriction such as ribs and spinal segments (LeFebvre, Peterson & Haas, 2012)
• PNF/PIR/prescribed stretching – Stretching has shown to reduce pain, improve functionality of the wrist and hand also maintains strength and improves patients in both long and short-term outcomes.
• Remedial Massage, Trigger point therapy or use of handheld massager – Have shown to decrease pain/tenderness, enhance both range of motion and quality of life and influence flexibility (Shah et al., 2015) (Imtiyaz, Veqar & Shareef, 2014)
• Advice on daily living activities/diet – This enables advice on how to change to make healthy        actions into habits and may offer a valuable alternative with potential for long-term   impact. (Gardner, Lally & Wardle, 2012)
• Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores. (Fernandes, Pedrinelli & Hernandez, 2015)
• Dry Needling or Cupping to the surrounding musculature to help decrease tension and inflammation around the area of the hand and forearm.