Middle back pain is a common complaint for people of all ages. It can cause discomfort and stiffness and sometimes create an abnormal curvature in the lower back. Aside from being painful, it can also be quite debilitating. The good news is many ways to alleviate moderate back pain symptoms without relying on prescription medications or invasive treatments. One way is through exercise and using a foam roller.
What is Foam Rolling?
Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release technique that can enhance your warmup, cool down, or even before workouts. It’s also an effective tool for those with chronic pain conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia who may benefit from the pressure on their tight muscles while foam rollers are rolling over them at home to eliminate tension buildup and may experience less discomfort during both exercises and daily life activities.
Foam rolling has been shown to reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Increase range of motion through stretching out stiff joints. Prevent injuries due to decreased risk of injury via improved joint mobility.
Some people believe it would help if one did not use too much force when doing self-myofascial relief (SMR) because it causes damage inside the tissue, which leads back to increased inflammation & more pain which results in bad habits toward future activity.
About the Middle Back (Thoracic Spine)
The middle of your back, or the thoracic spine, is the most extended region. That runs from the base of your neck down to your abdomen. It consists of 12 vertebrae and is the only spine region attached to the rib cage, making it very complex. The thoracic spine has the slightest range of motion but offers the most stability. This sturdy spine region helps support the neck and rib cage while protecting the spinal cord and vital organs.
The Causes of Middle Back Pain
Middle back pain is located in the thoracic spine, which consists of 12 vertebrae that are located above the bottom rib cage. The spinal cord is a long bundle of nerves. The disk spine protects the spinal cord. And allows the brain to communicate with body parts, like arms and legs, directly or indirectly through nerve signals received by sensory organs such as eyes, ears, etc.
There are many ways bones, muscles, ligaments disks can irritate or injure nerves leading to back pain. Some causes include damaging them while lifting something too heavy (or not using proper form). They are working out when you’re older than 18 risks breaking your lower lumbar discs—and doing repetitive movements without breaks crossing legs at work ledges on stairways.
Symptoms:
- Muscle aches
- Dull pain
- A burning sensation
- Sharp pain
- Muscle tightness or stiffness
Causes of Middle Back Pain
There are many causes of back pain, ranging from injuries to poor posture. These possible causes include:
- Poor Posture. Repeated pressure on the spine can lead to pain in the middle back, which is often caused by poor posture. When muscles and ligaments are overworked from excess slouching, aches and chronic low back discomfort may be experienced.
- Herniated disk. These symptoms may occur when a herniated disk pushes against a nerve. This pressure on the nerve can result in pain, tingling, or numbness in areas where the affected nerve travels. The term herniated disk is commonly used to describe this condition. And has two main types: slipped discs and ruptured discs.
- Aging. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) found that back pain is most likely in those aged 30-50. This happens due to the natural aging process and all its adverse effects, such as thinning bones, reduction in muscle mass, and fluid between joints in the spine.
- Fractures. Fractures are severe injuries that often require immediate treatment. People can experience severe pain, urinary incontinence, and tingling or numbness in the affected area if they have had one. Treatment options may include wearing a brace. Going to physical therapy and possibly surgery depends on your fracture/injury severity.
Four-point Position
Take a foam roller and get into a four-point position, with your knees under the hips and pushing the hips back a little bit. Place one hand on the foam roller and roll it away from your body. Bring your hand and shoulder as far as you can. Then, switch to the other side.
Try to bring the hand and shoulder as far as you can to get an excellent stretch in the mid-back and work on the mobility of the midback.
This is an excellent exercise if you have midback tightness. You can go through this exercise quickly at home or the end of your workout.
We need to know the causes of our back pain. Simple changes will not harm our body but help us feel better and avoid medications like this easy foam roller exercise!
If you want to learn how to permanently eliminate your back discomfort, check out the Low Back Pain Solved program here.
