MIDDLE BACK PAIN - WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?
Many times though Pain in the mid-back is caused by things that can be prevented. It is most often caused by poor posture, or a minor strain or sprain. One of the things that always aggravated me when I heard of friends or family members going to see their doctor for help with back pain, was that they were always sent home with a prescription for drugs - Usually muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory drugs. What aggravated me about that was that I knew that there were much safer alternatives available that were always overlooked. Back Pain has been around for thousands of years, and safe back pain treatments have been used successfully for thousands of years. Why does our medical profession insist on treating back pain with drugs and surgery which have dangerous side effects when so many safer and more effective options are available? I know that drugs and surgery have their place and are sometimes needed, but shouldn’t they be used only after less risky methods have been tried first? Above I said that poor posture is one of the most common causes of middle back pain. What I mean by poor posture is slouched, or forward rounded shoulders. Forward rounded shoulders can usually be prevented. Rounded shoulders are common in children who are taller than most of their friends. Many tall young people let their shoulders slump forward in a subconscious attempt to look shorter. Thereby “fitting in“ with their peers. My wife was very tall as a young girl. She was self conscious about it and would often let her shoulders slump forward.
What saved her was her wise old grandmother who would tap her gently on the shoulders and softly say; “Come on Michelle, keep those shoulders back, stand up straight! Someday you’re going to be proud to be tall." I have heard my wife repeat that story so many times. She knows her grandmother is largely responsible for her good posture. Today my wife is very happy to be the height she is; and she still has excellent posture. Her posture is the result of good habits that were taught to her by her grandma. There is a reason good posture is so important in prevention and treatment of Middle Back Pain. Good posture lets our muscles work efficiently. This uses less energy and prevents muscle fatigue and overuse injuries. Good Posture means that the spine is straight when looking at it from the front. From the side the ear should line up with the shoulder, hip, and the bone at the outside of the ankle. The ear and head should not be in front of the shoulders. For every inch the ear and head move forward, 10 pounds of stress is put on the muscles that run from the back of the head into the upper and middle back. This causes headaches, upper back pain, and Middle Back Pain. Next we have the major problem of Slouched (rounded) shoulders. This posture puts extra stress on certain back muscles. Over time some of the muscles on the front of the body become shorter. A common muscle to shorten is the Pectoralis (Pec) muscles. The Pectoralis are the biggest muscles in the chest. They attach on one end to the breastbone (sternum). On the other end they attach to the shoulder. If a person has slouched or forward rounded shoulders, it causes the pec muscles to shorten. This just pulls the shoulders more forward, compounding the posture problem. Patients with this problem need two things: 1. To stretch the short and tight muscles. 2. To strengthen the opposition muscles of the short and tight muscles. For some patients that had really badly rounded shoulders I prescribed a shoulder brace. The brace pulled the shoulders back into healthy posture. The support of the brace, coupled with the right strengthening and stretching exercises, improved posture and relieved both upper and Middle Back Pain. To Your Best Health, Dr. Cliff
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