Top 3 Exercises for Your Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain is common and there are exercises that can truly help you in managing the pain and discomfort. If you follow the prevention tips and exercise regularly there’s a strong possibility you won’t have to worry about suffering from back pain and stiffness ever again. But before we start learning about the exercise routine and prevention tricks and hacks, let’s ease the stiffness and your muscle tension immediately. It will be easier for you to learn that way, right?

How to relieve upper back pain immediately?

You noticed the discomfort but you can’t visit your chiropractor or a masseuse right away? Consuming fresh Tumeric grinded up in a smoothie with black pepper is an amazing natural anti-inflammatory. This coupled with lots of quality-filtered water will flush toxins out of the body.

Now roll up a bath towel or if handy grab a yoga block or bolster. Place this long ways on the ground. Now lay long ways down your spine with either your legs straight or knees relaxed out. Spend a couple of minutes here with the spine in extension. For a majority a lot of the issues are caused because the spine has been spending to many hours in flexion.

Once this is done, try these 3 exercises. They’ll strengthen your upper back and neck thus helping your muscles to support your spine.

The best exercise for your upper back pain

Daily practice of 15 repetitions 3 times through is enough.

1. Spinal Wave

Start with your feet 1 foot from the wall and your whole back pressed firmly against the wall. You should only have space between the back of the neck. If someone tried to slide their hand behind you back, they shouldn’t be able to succeed as your whole spine has contact. Starting at the base of the spine try to peel just as you would a long strip of tape, vertebrae by vertebrae off the wall. Keep going till all that is left is that back of your head. Once this is done connect bit by bit your back on the wall reversing the whole process. I like to call this segmental connection. You are trying to create movement and connection through each part of the spine and ensure nothing gets stuck. We would suggest 2-minute efforts at this.

2. Baby Cobra

Start laying face down with your hands out to the side at 90 degrees. With a relaxed lower body elevate your hands and chin. Hold at the top for 2 seconds before returning to the ground. Repeat this 15 times.

3. Glute Bridge

Laying on your back with the knees bent and feet flat. Give your pelvis a posterior tuck. From here elevate your hips and squeeze your glutes with the force coming from the heels of the foot. This exercise will help strengthen the glutes allowing it the body to fire the correct areas when needed ensure the back doesn’t work when it isn’t required.

Bonus suggestion: The star of the show

Put some upbeat tunes on and roll your shoulders forward, slowly making larger circles then reduce to smaller ones. Reverse direction, repeat 10 times and bow.

We don’t want to nag but…

By strengthening the muscles in your shoulders, glutes and back you can fend off any discomfort. Think about doing aerobic exercise. Besides the fact that working out regularly will make you look great, it will also keep your spinal disks healthy.

Strengthen your core and get outside for 20 to 30 minutes. It will work like a charm.

Why is this even happening to me?

In most cases, it’s about bad posture, our love of screens or a job behind the desk. It gets more severe if you smoke or if you are overweight because excess can add more pressure on the muscles.

It can also happen as a result of a sports injury or improperly lifting something heavy. If your neck or back is injured in an accident you should see your doctor immediately.

Watch out for the warning signs

Experiencing any numbness is a red flag that you should see your doctor as soon as possible. Also, if you try treating your pain with exercise but it doesn’t really get better after a few days; please see a doctor.

If you don’t do anything about your discomfort, it might get worse, spread and even limit you further. Take good care of yourself and your body will thank you for it.