Mid Back pain and tightness

We all get it sometimes, right? That nagging aching feeling in between your shoulder blades that not matter how much you stretch just doesn’t go away.

Let’s take a look at a few reasons this might pop up for some people.

1. A lack of shoulder range of motion

2. Weakness of the mid back musculature (ie: rhomboids, mid trap) and the entire posterior chain

3. Lack of thoracic mobility

4. Dehydration

We know that the shoulder is a ball and socket joint, but we cannot forget that the socket of the joint is a part of the shoulder blade. The actual shoulder girdle is much bigger than just the ball and socket. It also includes the: shoulder blade, collar bone, sternum, and the ribcage.

A lack of shoulder range of motion can also limit the amount of tissue glide occurring in the mid back which will create stiffness. The second way occurs because a tight muscle will feel long term relief when stretched, however a taut muscle will not because it is weak and needs to be strengthened, not stretched in order to release the tension long term. The ribs of the thorax attach to the thoracic section of the spine making mobility in the mid section of the spine more difficult than the neck and low back. For this reason, a lack of thoracic mobility will also cause tightness. Water is what lubricates our joints and is the substance upon which our myofascial layers glide, so if you lack proper water intake, the myofascial layers can become dry and tacked down creating stiffness.

Of course there are other reasons for mid back tightness including previous injury, disc injury, accidents, etc. These are a few things that can be improved upon in a short period of time to provide relief.

What do we do about it?

1. Increase shoulder range of motion - making sure you have decent passive internal and external rotation as well as shoulder flexion and adduction

   1. Stretching your arm across your chest, performing a sleepers stretch, and working on prone I’s are good places to start

2. Strengthen the mid back musculature - performing rows, banded pulls, and prone Y’s

3. Improve thoracic mobility - Kneeling thoracic extension with a broomstick, side-lying windmills,

4. Drink more water! Half your body weight in ounces each day - If you weight 150 lbs, drink 75 ounces of water each day.

Unfortunately, it is hard to tell where your issue lies with this mid back pain without someone with a keen eye to help you find it. That is where I come in. From the start I will run you through a movement screen to get the big picture of your movement which helps me to focus in on areas that may be contributing to your issue. Once the limiting factors have been established we work to relieve pain and restore optimal function.

Curious about your pain? Give me a call and lets get you started.