Back pain is something that strikes virtually every person around the world, both men and women of all ages. It’s said over 80% of us will seek severe back pain relief at one time or another.

Causes…

While not as common as lower back discomfort, many people feel back pain between the shoulder blades (the scapulas). This upper back pain between the shoulder scapula can be caused by a number of factors:

• Being physically fit and trying to look good have never been more prevalent so… many young people spend a lot of time exercising. Often they are over-doing it, doing the exercises incorrectly, not properly warming up and stretching. This causes the muscles that run from their neck down between their shoulder blades to get strained very easily. Exhaustion of the muscles causes back pain between the shoulder blades too, so don’t push beyond your effective limits.
• Many of us are spending more and more time in the office, sitting in uncomfortable office chairs (with bad posture), taking phone calls (with the phone propped between the ear and shoulder), lifting, twisting, bending and doing tasks that cause our bodies to tire out. When your body gets tired, usually your back begins to sag and back pain between the shoulder blades sets in.
• As mentioned, those of us with poor posture tend to slouch – which can cause pain throughout the back, not just in the upper back area.
• Men and women who are overweight and women with above average sized breasts tend to have back pain between their shoulder blades thanks to the added strain of the weight placed on their spinal column.
• Add in potential medical disorders and diseases such as a pinched nerve, disc herniation, disc degeneration, and others… and the muscles in the upper back don’t stand a chance.

These things are only a few things that can be the causes of back (thoracic) pain, but they can cause discomfort ranging from mildly annoying to seriously painful, chronic and debilitating.

It is important to do what you can to address and alleviate these issues. We have enough to worry about under normal circumstance without adding in pains from back issues.

First… as always, before you seek upper back pain relief and start self treatment, see your doctor to get a diagnosis of what is creating your particular issue.

Causes for an upper back problem and back pain between the shoulder blades are many and varied and you need to find out what condition is causing your aches before you do anything that could make them worse.

Be sure to follow whatever advice your therapist recommends. I’m constantly amazed at how many of us pay for professional advice – and then ignore it.

There are back pain exercises to help loosen the muscles and strengthen your back, but those who do exercise need to ensure that they don’t overexert themselves when cycling, running, training on the elliptical machine, or other activities. Make it a point to get a good stretch both before and after exercise.

Those spending a good amount of time in the office need to ensure that they have comfortable chairs to sit on. A poorly designed chair is more of a common cause of chronic back pain between the shoulder blades than most of us realize.

I like seeing a shapely leg as much as the next man, but many women wear heels that are too high, and the overly high heels contribute to their back aches. (As well as damage the feet.) Wearing comfortable shoes in the workplace is vital for back pain relief. Save the heels for a night on the town.

Poor posture can easily lead to a herniated cervical disc. It is easy to slouch, but correcting your posture will go a very long way towards avoiding potentially severe back problems.

If you suspect that you have poor posture, take a look in the mirror to check it out. If your chin is more than 2 inches in front of your chest, then you are probably hanging your too head low and slouching.

Roll your shoulders back and lift your head towards the roof. Straighten your back and lift your chest to correct your posture. You need to make the effort to walk around with good posture, it may be a hassle, but it’s easier than surgery, years of physical therapy, medication and trips to your physician.

Those with large breasts should ensure that they wear bras that offer sufficient support. Larger breasted women can visit a bra specialist to obtain information on what kind of bra is the best to provide the necessary support..

Taking these small steps to change can actually help you reduce the amount of back pain between the shoulder blades that you experience, and you may find that these few small changes are the difference between acute discomfort and a pain-free life.