alright so im experiencing some uper/mid back stiffness and im not sure what the cause solution of it is. its been this way for about a week now and i had someone cracked it today which didnt seem to help much and ive also been wondering if maybe its just discomfort from my back muscles growing since im really trying to put more emphasis on developing a better back? any thoughts would be appreciated, especially if youve encountered something similar.
Where exactly is the pain? Mid scapulae, upper traps, mid-thoracic? How is your upper body posture? Do your shoulder blades stick out or do you have a forward shoulder posture or kyphosis?
In the meantime, get a lacrosse or tennis ball and massage the muscles between your scapulae. Specifically, the rhomboids, traps (upper, mid, and lower), and levator scapulae. Also, get a foam roller and begin to perform thoracic extensions.
If you want to take it a step further, I highly recommend getting “Inside-Out Warm-Up” by Robertson and Hartmann. They outline a great uppper body dynamic warm-up routine and give you a great understanding on proper upper body mechanics and how they relate to preventing injuries around the shoulders.
its more mid back in the spinal column and slighty outside of it. its not really painful, just more of a discomfort. i keep trying to do upper body rotations in an effort to loosen it but its doing no good, its probaly banine and im not overly worried about it, just trying to see if anyone has had a similar experience and known the cause/solution.
thanks for the tips though, i really should pick up a foam roller and learn to use them , ive heard good things about them.
I’ve seen this before in many of my clients and that’s why I asked how your shoulder posture is? If you have an overly kyphotic upper back or anteriorly tilted scapulae you can develop a number of compensation patterns leading to trigger points and other myofascial restrictions, most likely in the rhomboids, pec minor, and levator scap. muscles.
Along with soft tissue work to these areas, I would have you focus on thoracic mobility and scapular stability drills. Mobility in both extension and rotation and stability drills making sure you’re reinforcing proper scapular mechanics.