Health Hacks Every Athlete Should Know To Avoid Upper Back Pain

Discover Health Hacks Every Athlete Should Know To Avoid Upper Back Pain!

Upper back pain is a common condition that affects both athletes as well as non-athletes.

This problem could stem from several underlying reasons such as injuries caused by accidents and falls, overuse of upper back, poor posture, improper lifting, compression fractures, fibromyalgia, thoracic herniated disc, severe spinal deformity, and arthritis etc.

So, whether you are an athlete or a non-athlete it’s utterly important for you to take care of your body like anything if you truly believe in living a pain-free life.

Tips For You To Avoid Upper Back Pain

There are several important tips and tricks that can prevent you from struggling with back pain. And these tips and tricks are especially imperative for athletes who have to remain fit and healthy all the time to give their hundred percent toward their game.

Whether you talk about soccer players, footballers, boxers, gymnasts or runners, they all have to work on their fitness to improve their performance.

However, conditions like upper back pain, neck pain, and headaches can reduce their performance like anything, so it’s important to avoid any such activity that leads to these conditions. Here are some important tips for you to avoid upper back pain

Stop Slouching

A healthy spine is very important to avoid back pain and upper back pain. And since slouching can affect your spine like anything it’s important to stop it. Whether you talk about standing, moving or sitting, you have to maintain a perfect posture, otherwise, nothing can stop you from experiencing musculoskeletal pain especially upper back pain.

Proper posture is not only important for avoiding upper back pain but it is equally imperative for preventing breathing problems and headaches. There are several ways of improving your posture, for example, you can use a backrest while sitting on a chair in your office or at home.

Use Right Lifting Techniques

The use of poor lifting techniques can also be the cause of your upper back pain that affects the functioning of your neck and shoulder apart from your back. keeping your spine aligned is really pivotal while lifting a heavy item. However, if you fail to do that it can put enormous stress on your upper back. So, be careful while placing a heavy object in overhead shelves to avoid upper back pain injuries.

Avoid Overusing Your Upper Back

Overuse of your upper back can definitely lead to pain. So make sure that you limit all those activities that can put stress on your upper back. Spending a lot of time in carrying out activities like gardening, painting a ceiling, and arranging furniture in your living room and bedroom could lead to muscle strains and ligament strains, that could eventually trigger upper back pain.

Try to Avoid Accidents

Falls and auto accidents can injure your muscles, spinal bone, ligaments, and nerves etc., so it’s better to be careful while walking or driving a vehicle. When it comes to avoiding auto injuries you can stick to a vehicle that comes with high-end safety features.

Exercise

It’s very important for you to strengthen your upper back muscles and one of the best ways to achieve this goal is to perform the quality exercise. Include effective exercise in your workout routine that can strengthen your muscles and improve flexibility.

Exercises like pectoralis stretch, thoracic extension, scapular squeeze, rowing exercise, quadruped arm and leg raise, and sets and reps are very good for strengthening your upper back. Make sure that you make warm-ups and cooldowns an important part of your workout routine to improve your condition for improving your fitness.

Increase Your Water Intake

Increase your water intake to make sure that you stay hydrated all the time. The lack of water in your body leads to several problems. So make sure that you keep sipping water frequently to stay fit and active. Whether you are busy with workouts, practicing your game, or you are running it’s crucial for you to sip water frequently to stay hydrated.

However, if you are someone who is already struggling with upper back pain then you have to seek right treatment for it.

Here is How to Treat Upper Back Pain

No matter how much you try to avoid the upper back pain you can’t always be successful in your endeavor. And that’s when you have to look forward to getting quality treatment.

In case, you are experiencing upper back pain due to a severe injury then the perfect combination of physical therapy and medications could bring quick improvement in your condition.

Techniques like dry needling and manual therapy are very helpful in alleviating upper back pain because they not only help in releasing muscle tension but also play a vital role in accelerating your body’s natural self-healing mechanism.

Therapy Techniques

There are several types of manual therapy techniques such as soft tissue massage, joint manipulation and mobilization, and neuro-muscular techniques, so your therapist will use the one the suits your requirements. For example, if you talk about soft tissue massage it helps in strengthening muscles by enhancing circulation.

According to OceanView Rehabilitation, “During a soft tissue massage, the physical and occupational therapist will manually knead the muscle tissues allowing blood to re-circulate through the tissues and softening any tightness that may have settled in them.”

Apart from manual therapy, techniques like aquatic therapy and acupuncture are also used by physical therapists for alleviating upper back pain.