How to Relieve Upper Back Pain... Fast!
- Jackie Koenig, L.Ac.
- Jun 24
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 25
Read about our 5 recommendations that can help your upper back pain feel better quickly.
Upper back pain is one of the most common complaints that we see in our acupuncture clinic. Unfortunately, conventional medicine simply doesn't have great options for this sort of pain. Many patients report to us that their primary care doctor simply prescribed muscle relaxers, epidural injections, or in one case, anti-anxiety medication(?!) for their upper back pain. What's more frustrating is that doctors often fail to even look at or inspect the body during appointments!
Fortunately, acupuncturists have many hands-on solutions that can help ease upper back pain, and often can help resolve it for good! Let's dive into how and why you might be suffering from pain in this area and ways to relieve upper back pain fast.
First, What Does Upper Back Pain Feel Like?
The upper back consists of the area from the bottom of the ribcage into the base of the neck. This "thoracic" area of the spine is where the vertebrae anchor the ribs and where the shoulder blades, or scapula, are also located. Many muscles ranging in size are located here, connecting the scapula, neck, ribs, and spine.
Often, patients come in complaining of tension and pain in between the shoulder blades. Sometimes, tension in this area is actually felt as neck pain and can be activated when the head is turned to the side. If this area is really tight, range of motion in the shoulders and neck can be affected and tension could even contribute to headaches felt at the base of the skull.
What Causes Upper Back Pain?
The muscles of the upper back are often overworked and tight because of:
desk work, long commutes in the car, sedentary lifestyles
improper exercise routine or working out with too much weight
having children: pregnancy, carrying babies, and breastfeeding often requires hunching forward
manual labor, like farming and mechanical work, or service industry workers carrying heavy trays
a history of wearing heavy equipment during work or play (firefighters, surgical nurses, hiking, sports gear)
anatomy: larger breasts or carrying more body weight in general can strain the back muscles
traumatic injury
stress!
What Can Help Relieve Upper Back Pain Fast?
As acupuncturists, we have a lot of hands-on tools in the toolbox that can help relieve pain in general, but upper back pain particularly responds to:
Acupuncture and Dry Needling
Cupping
Heat Therapy
Foam Rolling
Changing Postures or Activities....what got you here in the first place?
Ok, now let's dive in to this list with more detail!
Acupuncture and Dry Needling
Muscles rely on good blood flow in order to stay soft, flexible, and pain free. When upper back muscles are overworked, they form knots and bands of fascia or blockages in the muscles. Normal blood circulation is supposed to nourish, warm, and "feed" nutrients to muscles, but when blood hits a knot in a muscle, it can’t get into that tight space very well. The knot can get more tight and stuck as months or years go by since it is being starved of blood, oxygen, and nourishment.
Dry needling and acupuncture (especially electro-acupuncture) can help these knots unwind so that blood and warmth can nourish the area again, ultimately helping the pain resolve.
The majority of patients feel a big difference after just 1 treatment and are usually surprised by how different they feel immediately after getting off of the treatment table. (...now that's what we mean by fast!)
For longer lasting results, we generally recommend a handful of treatments before reassessment.
Cupping
Cupping is an age-old therapeutic method that involves applying suction to the skin. When a vacuum effect is created inside of the cup, the skin and underlying tissues are lifted into the empty space. This therapy can break up adhesions in the fascia and resolve knots, bringing instant relief from tension and pain. Not only does the treatment feel good in the moment, its lasting effects can improve health by promoting better blood circulation into the muscles.
Check out our other cupping posts for a deeper dive!
Heat Therapy
According to Chinese Medicine, heat promotes healing. Warmth brings better blood flow to an area which carries more immune cells and lymph fluid so that the body's healing capabilities are easily able to reach areas of pain and tension. We use a TDP heat lamp in clinic for this exact reason, but any at-home heating pad or a warm bath are also great recommendations in between appointments!
+Pro Tip: If you have a seat warmer in your car, turn it on for a little healing session during your commute!
Foam Rolling
Foam Rolling is an easy, fast, at-home solution that can help keep upper back pain and tension at bay and can help continue your healing progress in between acupuncture treatments.
These 2 quick videos show you how to use a foam roller for your upper back... the first one uses the roller horizontally and the other uses it vertically under the spine with cactus arms!
Change What Caused Your Pain in the First Place!
One of my teachers always says if you want to resolve your pain FOR GOOD, you must picture it like a 3 legged stool; each "leg" is equally important and results are only achieved when all 3 are practiced together:
Acupuncture, massage, cupping, dry needling, physical therapy, or whatever other modality you use to help relieve the pain
At-home stretching, foam rolling, heat therapy, yoga, etc.-- practicing "your work" consistently to maintain progress
Most importantly, changing what caused your pain in the first place!
-this could include adjusting your posture, strength training weak muscles that are contributing to the tension, converting to a standing desk at work and sitting less, using a backpack instead of a heavy bag on one shoulder, taking time away from the sport that gives you tension and pain, passing off heavy lifting at work to someone else...
This last "leg" is much easier said than done, however, some adjustments are truly necessary in order to resolve the pain for good.
How Do Acupuncture, Dry Needling, and Cupping Achieve Lasting Results?
Not only do these treatments often feel good in the moment, their lasting effects can help to foster healing and improve health by promoting:
Book Acupuncture, Dry Needling, or Cupping Today!
If you're local to the greater New Orleans, LA area, we'd love to see how we can help! Our clinic is located in downtown New Orleans. Check out our availability and schedule your first treatment here.
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