Upper back pain, pain in your ribs — it can take your breath away – literally! Your upper back is a vital area of your body. When you have pain in your upper back or ribs its not only annoying but debilitating and depressing. Since your arms are attached to your upper back it can be hard to do anything when your locked up. There can be many causes for upper back pain and to figure out exactly what is going on with YOUR back you need a thorough assessment by a professional who understands the spine, biomechanics, and how it connects to the rest of your body and life. At Kineci we believe in a holistic approach in which we understand and appreciate that your back is not isolated but an integrated part of Your Body-Mind-&-Spirit.
Upper back pain can stem from a variety of causes such as disc irritations, facet joint strains and impingements, rib issues, arthritis, muscle strains, poor posture, tension and stress.
Your upper back holds the key to a lot of your capabilities or dysfunction. It is an area of the body that become restricted easily and frequently with all the sitting and poor posture in our world. You develop asymmetries and restrictions based on habits, movement patterns, hand dominance, and old injuries. Your upper back moving successfully helps reduce stress and strain on surrounding parts like your shoulders, neck, and low back. The healthier, more mobile, strong, and stable your upper back is the easier life gets for the rest of your body.
Your solution to your back pain is in understanding your body’s unique imbalances, asymmetries and weaknesses. Every person is unique and depends on YOUR body’s specific needs. Learning Your Movement Signature – your body’s individual movement patterns, compensations, asymmetries, and imbalances guides Your Movement Prescription – Your Exercise plan specific to your body’s needs.
Your upper back = your shoulders – and – your shoulder blades mobility = upper back mobility. This is a generalized statement but it points to the relationship between your upper back and your shoulders, in particular your scapulas or shoulder blades. Upper back dysfunction and shoulder problems are linked. When shoulders are not working usually the upper back is to blame. If the upper back is working well it means your scapulas are able to move across your back to allow you to position your hand anywhere in space you want. The better your upper back moves the more mobile your scapulas the more success you can have with your upper back and shoulders.
Another concept that is key for a happy and healthy upper back is that we have to move in 3 directions. As humans our bodies are designed to move in 3 planes of motion: Sagittal plane = moving forward and backwards, Frontal plane = moving side to side, and Transverse plane = moving in rotation left and rotation right. Your successful Movement Prescription must move in all 3 directions otherwise your program is missing key elements for success.
If your back is bothering you here are 3 simple exercises and 3 tips you can do to help yourself start to feel better and move easier. Download this Free Report
Schedule an evaluation for a personalized treatment program.
More than your typical Physical Therapy in Santa Barbara. Kineci offers specialized care to meet YOUR needs.
Hours by Appointment at:
1731 State St, Ste B,
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
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