Are you experiencing mid back (Thoracic) pain?
The area we’re talking about here is just below the shoulder blades and just above the lower back. It is the area that the lower half of the ribs connect to the spine and produces mostly rotation and flexion, and very little lateral flexion or extension.
This type of back pain is often associated with a restricted movement of the spine in the thoracic area, and involves the ribs. The muscles in this region of the body help to stabilize our spine, pick up heavy loads off the ground, produce sustained contractions to help our posture, and assist in our breathing.
Needless to say, they do a lot of work every day.
Try this at home.
Sit at the end of a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Next, keep your feet and knees together and straighten your arms directly out in front of you with palms together like you are making an arrow with your arms pointing right in front of you.
Now, without letting your knees or hips move, try to rotate as far as possible to the right and then as far as possible to the left. Normal range of motion is a full 90 degrees in both directions.
Did you make it?
No?! Is one direction more difficult than the other? Do you get pain through either motion, both, or at the end of the motion as you couldn’t go any further? Is there no pain, but it’s just really really hard to do?
If any of this applies to you, then you should get professional treatment from a soft tissue minded Orchard Park chiropractor ASAP. There is no reason to live with this restriction, and it is most definitely contributing to your pain! Get it fixed, live a healthier life, and avoid worse problems down the road.
Certified in Advanced Chiropractic Care
