Tight upper back

Hi folks,

recently I've started to do a little carrying/overhead work. Farmer walks, overhead squats and overhead carrying (or weight over shoulder).

All this stuff is making my upper back really really tight. Right between the shoulderblades (exactly where I have slight scoliosis)


Should I go on and just try to alleviate the pain with stretching (what stretches?) and hyperextending the spine every once in a while (two tennis balls in a sock work very well, my back will feel much better after that).
Or should I stop doing this kind of training?


thx in advance!

I have been having the same problems and was told to do plenty of stretching!

could you provide a webpage with instruction?

or tell me which muscles to stretch specifically so I can look up how to do it myself!

thx

Does nobody have mor information?

Sorry for the bump...


recently I read somewhere that functional scoliosis in the thoracic area may be due to a overactive Quadratus lumborum muscle.

Is there a easy way to check for this?

Stretching the QL was advised, but I did not understand which side... stretch the QL on the same side as bulge in the spine or opposite?

thank you!

It may be of functional scolisis , but there are certain things to be ruled out . As you mentioned about overhead heavy we can also suspect of c. Spondylosis , that should be ruled out primarily because in this condition you feel trigger points over trapezius , some times over the muscles of upper back. That may be a region . So clearly mention is there any neck pain or arm pain.

As I initially posted a while ago, I should clarify some things!

I have'nt done much of the things described above (i.e. heavy carrying, overhead carrying).

Yet the tightness remains. It is not very painful and clearly functional but its bugging me enough to keep looking for a solution. I can trigger it quite easily for example by bending sideways (bending to the left is no problem, bending to the right I feel the tight spot right away)

Or when doing pushups if I stay in the bottom position. Scapula depressed and squeezed together I feel the tight spot and a little pain right between the shoulder blades on the left side of the spine.


I do not have Neck or Arm pain! In the summer though I have a lot of headache, which always feels like coming from the neck.


Recently I did Barbell Overhead Shrugs and it gave me shoulder pain on the left side (where the tight spot is) pretty quick...
Luckily it was not bursitis but I guess had something to do with the supraspinatus!
Also I noticed that my left scapula always makes a grinding/popping sound on the ribcage somewhere near teres major on the upward motion of the overhead shrug.


Needless to say that I stopped doing overhead shrugs two weeks ago and am lucky to be shoulder-pain-free again.


But the Situation is bugging me.
As a rock climber especially I hate it to run into shoulder problems every 6-18months.....


would be great if you could share some insights!


#edit
Oh and I nearly forgot
my general physician told me a while ago I had a "flat back" and that my right shoulder is lower than my left.
Which shouldn't be surprising as my right leg is about 0.5in shorter

#edit
I dug up some x-rays a orthopedist had made back in 2006 when I had subacromial bursitis in both shoulders (alternating). No idea if my posture changed since then, hope the pics helb!

thx!

Hi Brokk

You are obviously quite knowledgeable about you'd anatomy. However I think it would save you a lot of time and avoid the risk of a wrong diagnosis if you actually got it examined a good MSK physio.

...however one thing that sound quite possible you may have developed trigger points most likely in the left levator scapulae. Sounds about the right place and would get triggered by overhead shrugs. Upper trap rhomboids or something like post scalene could also be an issue.

Yeah well, I wouldn't say a lot of time. But instead of bumming around in front of the TV I look up this kind of stuff ;)

I edited my post but the pics wouldn't show, here's another try:

http://img836.imageshack.us/f/cervical.jpg/
http://img545.imageshack.us/f/thoracic.jpg/

or:
Imageshack - thoracic.jpg
Imageshack - cervical.jpg

maybe you see something?!

but thx anyways, I'll look up how to show the levator scapulae who's the boss ;)

Hi folks,

I know, crossposting is'nt liked, but my other post is not going anywhere ( http://www.physiobob.com/forum/patie...html#post49555 )

My back is still painful and is getting worse the more sports I do.
I found out there is a easy test (Scheppelman's test, there are youtube videos of it) for which I'm positive. Pain at the opposite/convex side of bending.

But I can't find out what that exactly means and how to treat it!
So I was hoping a PT could tell me what to do?!


thx in advance!

#edit:
to clarify, I do not have any chest pain! only the area near the spine is affected.
I do not have neck or arm pain either. Only headache here and there that seems to be coming from my neck.

Have you sought an opinion through a physio? I have a hunch that trying to diagnose yourself and given the description you have given trying to get a diagnosis online isn't going to work. I think this is why you are not getting many responses

u got the point Gcoe.Visiting an msk physio for proper diagnosis is the key to getting solution to this condition.The postural scoliosis has thrown a compensatory shoulder level assemmetry which could be secondary to a sustained muscular activity.Prolong muscular activity could potentiate trigger points in the active line of both trapeziod and romboid ms.Overhead activities could hv triggered the trigger points and hence the muscle tightness.U need to see a physio for proper management.looking forward to seeing u out of the situation very soon.yelufem.

Oh well.. I guess you are right...


I'll let you know once I know more, just for info