If you suffer from upper back pain throughout the night, you may consider buying a new mattress to solve your problem. But before you purchase a new mattress, find out why your upper back aches in the first place. Something else may be the cause of your upper backaches. Below are possible causes of your back pain and the solutions you need for them.
What's Happening to Your Upper Back?
The unique muscles in your upper back provide continuous support for the tissues in your chest, head, neck, ribs, and shoulders. The muscles allow you to raise your arms, hunch your shoulders, extend your neck, and rotate your head. Some of your back muscles provide a significant amount of support to the bones that make up your spinal column.
Many things can trigger aches and pains in your upper body tissues, including poor posture, muscle strain, and pinched nerves. Overextending your arms or using your shoulders to carry heavy objects may also affect the muscles in your upper back. If you continuously place stress on the tissues in your upper back region, they'll eventually become sore, spasmodic, or irritated.
Changing your mattress may not be the only solution you need for your upper back pain. You may need to fight the pain at its source.
How Do You Relieve the Aches in Your Back?
You don't want to fight your backaches on your own. You'll need help from a back pain specialist, such as a chiropractor or general doctor. Back pain can affect multiple tissues. You want to find and treat every area in your upper back that may possibly cause pain.
A doctor may x-ray your back to see where the cause of your pain lies. If the cause of your pain is in your spine or neck, a doctor may need to realign the bones in these tissues. If your pain comes from wear and tear or poor posture, a specialist may refer you to a physical therapist, Tai Chi instructor, or someone else who can relax and strengthen your back muscles. These types of methods help improve your posture and body mechanics, which can all trigger body aches and pains.
If your upper back pain is dire, a doctor may use nerve blockers and special medications to ease it. You may need to continue your medicinal treatments for the best results.
Don't purchase a new mattress until you see a doctor about your upper back pain. Contact a specialist by phone or online for more information or to get back pain treatment.