Upper Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades: Causes and Relief Exercises

Move your body. Make your body strong. Your body is made to do just that! The human body is an incredible miracle of strength and resilience. However, even the toughest machines need fuel and proper maintenance. The best part is, you have relief. We are going to go over some common causes of upper back pain between the shoulder blades and what you can do to start feeling better right now.

Common Causes of Upper Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades

Ever heard the saying, “Your body is trying to tell you something?” When your body aches and hurts, it’s because something needs to change. Whether that be correcting your poor posture when you’re sitting at your desk, adjusting how you’re performing your workouts, or even the way you sleep at night. Pain between your shoulder blades occurs commonly for a reason. Evaluate what you normally do on a day-to-day basis, and you can usually identify your pain culprit.

Sitting Forward/“Hunching” Over Too Much

Think about how you sit throughout the day. I know whenever I’m browsing through social media or caught up at work, my posture tends to slump forward. 'Tech neck' has become such a common posture that we see every day. All that sitting forward does is stretch out the muscles in your upper back past their ideal length. Furthermore, when you sit forward, you’re contracting and tightening your chest muscles. Those two muscle groups continuously fight against each other, and before you know it, your back muscles give up and you’re left with sore, burning pain.

Lifting Weights Incorrectly

Lifting weights can be a great way to build posture and strengthen your back if done correctly. Whether you’re pumping iron at the gym, or working on your garden in Merrick, NY, picking up that heavy bag of soil for your new flower can really throw your body out of whack. Whenever you reach forward and pick something up with your back rather than your legs, you’re asking for disaster. All that reaching forward makes your muscles in between your shoulder blades stabilize your body, leading to tiny tears in your muscle or worn out ligaments that support your spine.

Working Out Too Hard

We’ve all heard the phrase "pulling your back out.” When you go out and work out or do some heavy lifting your reaching up overhead or pulling something towards you body repetitively you can wear out the muscles in your upper back. Once these muscles become weak they can become irritated and inflamed which can lead to feeling knots in your muscles.

Find Your Pain

Before you choose how you want to treat your pain, it can help to understand how your pain feels when you do certain activities. Is your pain a sharp sting when you reach your hand for your seatbelt? Or maybe your pain feels like a dull throbbing after sitting at your desk all day? Taking note on how your body feels during certain motions can help you understand where your pain is coming from.

Your Pain Could Be…

• Dull Throbbing? Most likely from sitting forward too much and overworking yourself after a long day.
• Sharp Sting? Ouch! Did you pull a muscle? This type of pain is common when you overdo a movement.
• Burning? This type of pain is normally related to nerve damage or severe muscle inflammation.
• Stiff? Everyone feels stiff ever once and a while. Typically this happens when you wake up in the morning and feel better as you move around.

When it comes to poor posture, sometimes you don’t even know you’re doing it! However, the human body is STRONG. Your body would rather hurt now then be destroyed later. It starts slowly trying to heal itself and attempt to restore balance. You can allow your body to heal by supplying it with the right tools and vitamins to work with.

Simple Relief Exercises for Upper Back Pain Between Shoulder Blades

Below I’ve listed 2 of my favorite exercises for relief that you can start doing today to open up your chest and start strengthening your upper back. Performing movements such as these will help you build a foundation of strength and function. Not only will these 2 exercises help you with your current discomfort but they will allow your body to fight against future injuries!

EXERCISE #1: Scapular Retractions (Shoulder Blade Squeeze)

Scapular retractions, also known as shoulder blade squeezes are PHYSIOTHERAPISTS FAVORITE!!!! This exercise helps your muscles “remember” how to sit in a healthy shoulder position.

How to Perform:

• Sit/Stand upright with arms hanging by your sides.
• Place an imaginary pencil between your shoulder blades.
• Slowly squeeze your shoulder blades together as if you’re trying to cradle that pencil.
• Keep your shoulders pulled down and away from your ears.
• Hold for 5 seconds.
• Relax and repeat 10x.

Safety Tip: BREATH! Don’t forget to breathe when you’re performing this movement. Take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth to help relax your muscles and allow them to fill with more oxygen.

EXERCISE #2: Doorway Stretch

When you sit forward too much your chest muscles tighten up and pull your shoulders forward. This causes shoulder blade pain. The doorway stretch helps open your chest back up to reverse that pulling sensation.

How to Perform:

• Stand in a doorway.
• Place your forearms on the doorframe with elbows bent at 90 degrees.
• Step one foot forward until you feel a stretch through the front of your chest.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds.
• Take a step back and repeat 3x.

Safety Tip: Feel any sharp pain in your shoulder joint, take smaller steps forward. You want to feel a gentle pull, not painful irritation!

Daily Habits To Improve Your Back Check-list

As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here is a quick check-list for you to follow to help ensure you’re taking care of your back daily.

• Set an alarm to remind yourself to stand up and stretch every 30 minutes you spend working.
• Raise your computer screen or phone to eye level to avoid tipping your neck forward.
• Drink Water! Drinking water helps keep the discs in your spine lubricated.
• Make sure you sit in a chair that supports the natural curve in your lower back. This will keep your upper back sitting in a nice neutral position.
• Practice deep belly breathing. Deep breaths help relieve your accessory breathing muscles in your neck/shoulder area.

Seeing A Professional

These at-home exercises are a GREAT start to your recovery process, but sometimes our bodies compensate for certain movement patterns we do day in and day out. Everyone is different and has their own unique history of injury, activity level, and goals they want to achieve. An individualized plan customized to YOU and your needs is typically the quickest way to see the results you are looking for.

At Summit Physical Therapy, we strive to figure out WHY you are feeling upper back pain. By testing your whole body, we can come up with a game plan that is not only going to relieve your pain, but allow you to build a long-lasting foundation of strength you can use for the rest of your life.

The human body is incredible. Once you make the decision to change your ways and help your body heal, you will be amazed at what you can do. You have the power to live a life free of pain and restriction. Don’t give up on your body’s ability to heal and feel great again.

Take THE NEXT STEP With Summit PT

At Summit Physical Therapy, we are dedicated to helping the Merrick community live their lives to the fullest. With a thorough evaluation and day-to-day support, we believe you can have a back that feels strong again. Are you ready to kick that tight pain in the butt? Let’s do this!

Give our office a call today to schedule your free consultation or CALL NOW to take advantage of a FREE screening. It’s time to allow the best version of YOU to live happily and healthily. No more back pain!

FAQs

Can stress cause pain between shoulder blades?

Because constant stress can make you feel like your neck and upper back muscles are having a panic attack. When you’re stressed out your shoulders literally try to crawl up towards your ears to prepare for fight or flight mode. Years of that causes your muscles to be in a constant state of tension which creates extreme pain between your shoulder blades.

Will using a foam roller help with pain between shoulder blades?

YES! Foam rollers are amazing tools that allow you to help improve mobility in your upper back. Simply roll back and forth on your roller in the area of your shoulder blades to loosen up any knots. Avoid using a foam roller on your lower back or neck unless told to do so by a professional. Roll slowly and if you feel any stabbing pain stop immediately.

How long should shoulder blade pain last?

If you stretch and correct your posture you should start to see results in a couple days. However if you want things to feel better long term you want to stick with it! Continue with your exercises and try to go into physical therapy for 4-6 weeks. Your muscles will start to strengthen and your body will start to enjoy these new healthy habits you have!

Does walking help with upper back pain?

YES! Walking is one of the best because it allows your blood to start flowing and it’s low impact on your joints. When you walk your arms naturally swing which creates a therapeutic effect on your upper back.

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