Upper back pain - caused by what?

[senn]

Hey everyone,

I'm sure this 'injury' is pretty common and may have already been posted before, but I just want some clarification and any advice etc.

Basically there's some pain in my upper back - just above my shoulder blades, which I'm guessing are my traps, but only on the left side. If I turn my head to the left or right it hurts, and also if I lift my head straight up so its staring a the sky.

I did a quick google, and it seems like its a common strain caused by sleeping in the wrong position. It got worse after one workout session, so I decided to cut out all training for a couple of weeks. Also to see if the injury was caused by my sleeping, or by my lifting. The pain lessened, but it still came up every now and then even after I hadn't lifted for a couple of weeks.

Today I did a set of bench presses and barbell curls.... and now the pain is quite bad - worse than it was before. Its annoying the heck out of me, cos I want to get back into training.... what should I do?

And also, if its a sleeping problem, what is the 'correct' way to sleep?

[Jigga]

I have this problem among others because of how I sleep. The perfect way to sleep is flat on your back with a pillow under your legs to elevate your knees. This puts your spine in the best position allowing it to decompress properly and it prevents any upper back pain you get from having to push your shoulders forward/backward when you lie on your side. I'm a side sleeper and I have a bad shoulder which makes sleeping pretty painful sometimes. I've tried lying on my back but it just keeps me awake or if I do manage to fall asleep I just roll on to my side in the night. If you can train yourself to sleep on your back your problems will be solved. If it doesn't fix your problem then you probably have some problem that you need to get checked out by a physio.

[senn]

thanks jiggaman :grin:

yeah im a side sleeper too, but also dont mind sleeping on my back. Ill try staying on my back for a while and see what difference this makes.

should I keep lifting or wait till the pain has completely gone away before I resume full training again do you think?

[Jigga]

If your an impatient person just keep training but take it easy. Aslong as you keep the rep-range high you aren't putting yourself in a lot of danger. If it hurts a lot then ease off. It shouldn't more than a few days to come right anyway.

[Optimass]

I have the same issue currently - weight of my shoulders is cause inflamation at around the 5th vert. Comes and goes but is much worse when my b/weight crosses over 120kg.

I had been getting physio but gave up after about $700 of treatment didn't work. Massage is good though and as Jigga has pointed out, sleeping on your back is good - (unless you snore like me - which generates a lot of agression from the mrs).

I have been trying to strengthen the area by including upright rows into my routine on chest days, which is aleviating some of the pressure as it is worse after a heavy set on bench. I find keeping it warm at night a help also - (still sleeping in my thermals).

[senn]

ok... wish I posted this earlier. I wasted off nearly a month of not training and im not really any better off. I was just worried that I'd make it worse if I kept training

I was gonna see my physio too, and was even gonna get one of those orthopedic pillows. dunno... maybe cos it was my first time having some sort of injury I got a bit paranoid. im glad its not lifting related though

[Pseudonym]

was even gonna get one of those orthopedic pillows

I've got one of these: http://www.peacepillows.co.nz

They're not cheap, but I love mine. They've got an overhang on the front edge which is great if you sleep on your side. Just try to find a place where you can test the various densities and thicknesses before you buy.

[startinfromscratch]

I've got one of these: http://www.peacepillows.co.nz

They're not cheap, but I love mine. They've got an overhang on the front edge which is great if you sleep on your side. Just try to find a place where you can test the various densities and thicknesses before you buy.

please refrain from posting promotions of products on nzbb. Advertising on nzbb can be arranged by contacting admin. please read the terms and conditions you agreed to upon registration.

[senn]

pseudonym I was in Farmers last week checking out their pillows, your right not cheap, the one I was looking at was $90!! but dam it did feel really good and spongy. and you flip it to whatever suits your sleeping style whether side sleeper or on back. I was at the warehouse hoping to find a cheap one but they didnt sell any at all. And at Farmers when I took the pillow of out the box to check it out, lady came over and had a go at me telling me I wasn't allowed to touch the pillow for health and safety reasons :evil: ... like b1tch if im gonna spend $90 on a pillow best believe im gonna check that shit out lol

[Pseudonym]

SFS - smartarse. I was perfectly within the rules though.

Senn, my sister ordered a similar one through the Maruia Society catalogue for half the price, but I think they only do one size and it didn't suit me. Some models are really fat and dense, and I needed the thinnest, softest pillow available - which meant paying more to buy less!

[senn]

hey just wanted to come back and say the tips have been great... the pain has completely gone away, and thats just from changing my sleeping pattern. I think you saved me from a lot on physio bills and pillows :nod:

[poohpiglet]

Yeah, Jiggaman was right! maybe you just have a wrong position in sleeping. Thank God you're okay now and glad you are now improving and healing.

Chiropractic Romsey

[jkdelz]

Wow a great recommendation, let me try that one. Nice to hear that. By the way I'm new here because I've suffered back pain. Can I ask something? For how many days you've suffer that until its gone? Because I've suffered my back pain for 3 weeks until now. Sh*t I just played basketball and then tomorrow on that I've feel the pain.

------------------

"Suffering is the best medicine!"

-Back Pain Romsey-

[Snatchy McClean]

I had the same problem - switched to a "memory foam" pillow and it helped a lot. They have them at Briscoes outlet stores pretty cheap, well I think mine was $70ish.

You can get them with a higher rise at one end and a lower rise at the other, so they should suit either a flat neck or a more arched one.