Chiropractic - Thoracic back pain

Continuing on our head-to-toe focus and how chiropractic care can help, we work our way down to the thoracic spine and common pains.
What is thoracic back pain?
Although it is not as common as neck or low back pain, our clinic treats this condition on a regular basis. It is often as a result of sitting for prolonged periods of time or static postures.
The thoracic spine is consists of twelve vertebra and forms the middle part of the spine between the neck (cervical spine) and lower back (lumbar spine). Ribs attach to every vertebra, creating a cage to protect your lungs and heart, making it very stable but not as flexible as other areas of your spine. As a consequence, your pain may well have an obvious cause, for example, cutting a hedge, doing heavy lifting, or gardening. The return to playing summer sports, such as tennis, cricket, and golf, which all require rotation and flexion after a winter of hibernating, may also cause you to “strain” a muscle. Although sometimes the pain may come on for no apparent reason, it might be worth noting that Thoracic pain may also be associated with stress, worry or feeling low.

Signs and Symptoms of Thoracic Pain
Pain in the thoracic spine can vary from person to person. For some, the pain may be mild and disappear after a few days. For others pain can persist and interfere with daily tasks.
Thoracic back pain can feel like:

• Sharp pain localised to one spot either on the spine or to one side.
• General ache or throbbing pain affecting a wider area.
• A stiffness causing a loss of normal movement.

Treatment
Heat/ice
A hot water bottle or ice pack (such as a bag of ice cubes) can be used regularly to help control pain in the initial stages of new onset of spinal pain or a flare up of existing pain.
If using ice, wrap the ice pack in a towel and apply to the painful area for 10 minutes every two hours.
If you are using heat, wrap the warm compress in a towel and place it on the painful area for 20 minutes every two hours.
If you have any concerns about the feeling on the skin where you are placing any of the mentioned compresses, ask a health professional to assess this before following this advice.
Lifestyle adaptations
Plan your activities in advance. Simple changes in how you perform your daily tasks may help. For example:

• try to spread activities out over the course of the day or week. Take short breaks regularly and plan for these breaks before the point of pain.
• change your position regularly and take breaks from static positions. If you drive long distances, consider a rest point and get out the car before the pain makes you stop.
• consider options which may make activities easier, for example, allow others to help, use step ladder / trolley.

 
If you have any questions about any of the above, please feel free to contact Kristine or Alex and they will be happy to help