Upper Back Pain Treatment with our Joplin Chiropractor

While your back is more prone to lower back pain, it is possible to suffer from upper back pain. This type of pain can affect the area from the base of your neck to the bottom of your rib cage. If you suffer from chronic upper back pain, it can make everyday activities difficult, and it can have a negative effect on your quality of life.

What Are the Common Causes of Upper Back Pain?

If you are suffering from upper back pain, it can be caused by a variety of reasons. These include:

• Poor posture: Sitting or standing with a slouch can cause pain in the upper back.
• Career: If you spend your day at a desk focused on a computer, you can experience upper back pain. Construction workers, nurses, and landscapers can also experience this type of pain due to frequent bending, carrying, pulling, and stretching.
• Injury: Certain injuries can result in upper back pain such as fractured vertebrae, muscle strain, and a herniated disc.
• Osteoarthritis: This condition causes the breakdown of cartilage that cushions the joints of the spine.

Typical Symptoms of Upper Back Pain

The symptoms of upper back pain can vary from minor to debilitating. The severity of the pain associated with upper back pain depends on the cause of the pain. The symptoms of this condition include:

• Aching
• Sharp pain
• Burning pain
• Stiffness

Diagnosing Upper Back Pain

Diagnosing this type of back pain can be difficult because there are many potential pain sources. While it can be impossible to find the source of the pain, there are a few tests that doctors use to diagnose it.

• Patient History: A detailed patient history can tell the doctor a lot about your pain. You will need to disclose when the symptoms started, where the pain is located, the intensity of the pain, and whether the pain is constant or if it comes and goes. The doctor will also ask you about your lifestyle and habits, your family's health history, and any history of back injuries.
• Physical Exam: During the physical exam, the doctor will check your back and posture to see if anything seems unusual. They will also do a palpitation test to check the thoracic spine for tenderness or rib instability.
• Diagnostic Tests: There are diagnostic tests to diagnose upper back pain such as an x-ray, an MRI, a medial branch nerve block, or a bone mineral density exam.

How Can our Joplin Chiropractor Treat Upper Back Pain?

If you are suffering from upper back pain, Dr. Skaggs can help. Through spinal manipulation, the doctor can adjust the spine and nervous system function which can relieve the pain. Dr. Skaggs can also help you develop skills to improve your workplace ergonomics and posture. Your chiropractor may also use hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat the pain and keep it from coming back. Studies have shown that this type of therapy is effective in treating various types of chronic pain, including upper back pain.

Schedule an Appointment with our Joplin Chiropractor

If you are suffering from upper back pain, we at Skaggs Chiropractic, LLC can help. Our chiropractor in Joplin will evaluate your condition and create a back pain treatment plan. After the first visit, you should start to feel some relief.