Upper back pain, ack

[NotQuiteCockney]

I was bending over talking to DS2 when suddenly I was having problems breathing. My upper back really hurts, between my shoulder blades.

My left pec was hurting earlier, this is no doubt all due to rock climbing (or maybe abs work? probably rock climbing though).

I've taken iboprofen.

But if my lower back acts up, I do pilates, and it helps. What exercises can I do to sort this out? It's not agony, it's not in spasm or anything, it needs to be stretched out I think?

oh no, I'm sorry to hear this
have absolutely no idea but wanted to give sympathy

erm you don't have any other symptoms of heart problems do you?
sorry have to ask as you mentioned chest pain and difficulty breathing

No no, no heart problems, deffo.

It hurts to breathe, but it hurts in my back, not in my lungs. No shooting pains etc etc.

I was PMSL at the NHS direct questions when I put in upper back pain - the best was 'If you've had a heart attack before, did it feel like this?'.

LOL great question
"have you had this before? if so, what did the doctor say it was last time?"

could save the NHS a fortune

No idea either. Just want to convey my sympathy as I am getting over a horrid fortnight of back ache.

Sorry to hear you're sore.

Try this. Put both your arms out in front of you at right angles to your body, with palms facing each other. Gently lower your head Try and "push" your arms away from your body by stretching your shoulders back.

That's probably a very bad description, but we do it in yoga, and I can feel it between my shoulder blades and upper back.

Hmmm, that does something, but doesn't seem to really stretch it. It doesn't hurt, though, which is good. I'll try it some more. (It really hurt to lift up DS2 tonight, arse.)

(I don't want to miss climbing tomorrow, for one thing! )

I did a pilates thing where you bend at the waist and then 'rebuild' your spine, vertebra by vertebra, and that seemed to help, some.

Ok, try this one.

Lie on your back in a straight line

Arms against your body, palms flat on the floor

With feet flat on the floor, draw them up so they are as close to your buttocks as possible.

Tuck your chin towards your chest slightly to elongate your spine as much as possible

Push up with your legs so that your feet, shoulders neck and head remain on the floor, with the rest of your body in the air.

Hold the position for 5 or so breaths.

Lower yourself to the floor, very slowly, one vertabrae at a time from the top of your neck to the base of your spine.

Repeat a few times.

Not too much of a stretch, but it will gently massage the muscles.

Another one to try.

Cross your right arm across your body in a straight line across the top of your chest. Gently put pressure on the outside top of your arm, with the other hand. Try to imagine pusing your shoulderblades backwards at the same time to increase the stretch.

Oooh, that seems to help, thanks!

I have taken maxdose of iboprofen, and won't climb tomorrow if it hurts to do so . And I'll be super-careful about any fast movements, as that normally (ime) makes back/shoulder problems lots worse ...

Glad it's feeling a bit better.

If you tell me which one helped, I'll try and think of more in the same sort of vein.

It was the lying on my back one, raising my hips.

I do ok with stretches, I know the one you mentioned, it seems to stretch my arm more than my back/shoulders?

I can get it stretch my back/shoulders if I round my shoulders a bit and drop my head forward.

The other thing to do is to do for a really deep tissue massage is to use a tennis ball!

Lie on your back on the floor, with a tennis ball in the tender area. Gently move your back over the tennis ball by wriggling! It can be quite sore to start with, but can give an excellent massage.

If that's too sore, get your DP or older child to roll a tennis ball over the sore bits, putting varying amounts of pressure on until you can feel it working.