Therapy for upper back pain

Introduction

Upper back pain is often caused by muscle strains, which areusually triggered by poor posture. Those who suffer from upper back pain needto visit a physical therapist in order to determine the exact causes of thepainful sensations and restore normal movement and heal the affected areas ofthe body. One may also learn various ways of minimizing the pain, if thecondition reoccurs sometime in the future. The most important part of workingwith a physical therapist is the learning of proper posture. Some people findit very hard to un-learn bad posture which they have gradually grown accustomedto during the numerous years. This type of therapy involves both passive andactive aspects. Passive aspects of the therapy are meant to teach the patientsnew ways of relaxing the body. They are usually incorporated at the initialphases of therapy, while the body is still in the process of healing. Activeaspects of therapy are meant to provide the body with strength and prevent theupper back pain from recurring sometime in the future.

Passive Treatments

One of the best types of passive treatment is ultrasoundwhich is very good at dealing with pain, stiffness, swelling, cramping, musclespasms and poor blood circulation. Ultrasound utilizes gentle heat for theprocess of healing. Another potent type of passive treatment is the so calledtranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or TENS. This method utilizes amachine which sends safe intensities of electrical current in order to reducethe pain and the occurrence of the spasms in the muscles. It is also verycommon for physical therapists to alternate between hot and cold therapies.Heat is very efficient in providing the affected areas with more blood, oxygenand precious nutrients. Cold therapy is sometimes also referred to ascryotherapy and it is very efficient in dealing with painful sensations, musclespasms and inflammatory conditions. One of the most commonly used types ofpassive treatment is the deep tissue massage which is very efficient inalleviating muscle tension and muscle spasms.

Active Treatments

The active part of the therapy involves learning variousdifferent types of exercises which are very efficient in increasing the rangeof motion, core stability, strength and flexibility of the affected areas ofthe body. All cases of active treatments are highly individualized in order tosuit one’s personal needs and preferences. One also learns the basics of correctergonomics and proper posture.