When people experience upper back pain, many believe that any type of movement or exercise will aggravate their condition making the pain worse, so they choose bed rest or a minimum amount of movement. The truth is that upper back pain exercise and movement often helps reduce pain faster because they are a natural stimuli. Bed rest and inactivity cannot provide a long-term solution for preventing or alleviating back pain the way regular, gradual, progressive upper back pain exercise can. The reason exercise helps is because it helps repair and nourish spinal structures, reduce stiffness, and keeps your back strong, flexible, and healthy.
Hot and cold treatments are effective in treating back pain, along with upper back pain exercises. Cold packs are very effective in relieving upper back pain and reducing back inflammation, especially for the first couple of days after suffering modest back pain. Apply an ice pack to the affected area for fifteen or twenty minutes, making sure the cold does not damage your skin. Leaving it on too long could cause frostbite or other problems. Repeat the ice pack treatment approximately once every hour. Heat treatments are very effective for treating muscular pains in the upper back, neck and shoulder areas but you should not use them on swollen areas. Apply a heating pad, covered hot water bottle, or microwave heat wrap to your upper back to bring relief. The blood flow increases due to the heat, which then delivers extra oxygen and nutrients to the back injury and helps speed up your recovery.
Upper back pain exercise is not the only way to help relieve pain. There are numerous methods for relieving upper back pain naturally so chances are you will find one that is just right for you. Massage therapy is an alternative to upper back pain exercise and many people find massage therapy treatment very positive and effective. Massage therapy helps improve muscle tone, blood circulation and helps prevent muscular atrophy from inactivity or illness. Many patients that choose massage therapy over upper back pain exercise find that they are experiencing more joint flexibility, reduced stress, and a sense of well being.
There are several forms of massage such as thee Swedish massage and Sports massage. A Swedish massage is very relaxing and helps lessen upper back pain by improving circulation, relieving stress and tension, and relaxing your muscles. The massage therapist uses kneading movements and long strokes to help your upper back. Sports massage therapist’s use finger pressure and deep, hard, slow strokes, which helps loosen contracted tendons and muscles. Upper back pain exercise, massage therapy or other methods could help bring you relief from pain.