The scalene muscles refer pain and uncomfortable sensations into BOTH hands and backs. The idea is to open your chest, get your head back over your body, and strengthen your back. If you are doing arms, you are possibly also doing pecs and might even be shortening/tightening the muscles in your neck even if you don’t mean to.

Thank you for writing again. It sounds like you are on the right track to getting rid of the numbness in your upper back.

Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach

Also, a skilled massage therapist can help relax the muscles in your neck called the scalenes. There is a good change they are causing not only the pain in your back but also the numbness and uncomfortable sensations that you had in your hands and arms when this first happened.

I’m thinking it’s a posture issue. If I was a betting woman, I’d bet you have a ‘forward head.’ Maybe rounded forward shoulders, too?

Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach

Thank you for writing and you are welcome. And I appreciate your kind words.

It’s amazing what we can do to injure ourselves in our sleep!

http://www.godvine.com/Man-Barely-Able-to-Stand-on-his-Own-Does-the-Unthinkable-Amazing-1476.html

That’s the link to a little video about a man who healed his back pain with yoga. I just found it yesterday. Very inspirational and I believe it will give you ideas.

Yoga is a whole body movement that makes muscles LONG and STRONG. That’s how muscles LIKE to be rather than short and tight. Yoga helps bodies be balanced rather than some areas tight and some weak.

Nerves can be pinched by bones or by muscles (IF it’s a nerve issue.) The chiropractic did not work. The doctor will prescribe pain meds or maybe physical therapy if you are lucky. Maybe even offer surgery whether needed or not (usually not.) But a skilled massage therapist can help the muscles that are pulling on the bones relax. I generally suggest someone who practices the St. John Method of Neuromuscular Massage Therapy or Neurosomatic Therapy by Paul St. John. These therapies look for the cause of the problem and treat the cause. There are other trainers of NMT but Paul is my hero and I have seen him help all types of muscular problems.

And most pain problems ARE muscular.

What would I do if I were you?

I’d stop working out. I’d start walking. Walking can be aerobic and uses all of the body if done correctly. http://WalkingSmart.com for a free report that I wrote.

I’d start yoga. (There are many types so you may have to try a few different instructors or classes to find your best fit.)

I’d take lots of breaks when prepping the veggies. You don’t have to do them all at once.

Have you been to http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com ? You may find an article there that would help.

If the pain feels burning, that most often indicates over-stretched muscles that are complaining!

I hope this helps get you on the road to a natural cure for your neck and upper back pain.

Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach

In 1999, my Senior year in highschool, I woke up with a very bad stiff neck one day- and the pain shot down my neck into the muscles between my right shoulder blade and spine. I wasn’t able to turn my head without pain, and this lasted for a few days.

However, my back has NEVER fully recovered. I was in band at the time, and continued band for a couple of years at college. My back gave me the most problems when holding a trumpet for a while- much like you described how it would with “work or play alot with your arm stretched out in front.” This caused overall numbness, annoying feelings, tingling, etc.

For 13 years since then, I have always had my “spot” — it always feels sore, and like it just needs a good massage, or maybe a single solid adjustment by a chiropractor. But no one has ever been able to fix it. The numbness has bothered me now and then for the past decade, but since I put the trumpet down, it hasn’t been something to ruin my day. Dr’s have had me take anti-inflammatory pills, and I have been to two different chiropractors (who both think I’ve got a rib bone out of place- but this all can be tracked back to sleeping weird that one night)

In high school, my weight was right were it should be. As an adult, I have gained a lot of weight, and I am now trying to shed it. The pain in my back is now worse than ever (but probably on the same level as it was 10-13 years ago) because I am working out- doing a lot of cardio- and using the machines with heart rate monitoring, which is right in front of me. So for extended time everyday, I’ve got my arms stretched out in front – something I haven’t really done for 10 years. I’m also cutting/cleaning/juicing a lot of fresh vegetables. So, the pain is distracting, horrible, and I am basically going crazy.

I’m going to try some stretching, and part of my workout routine includes upper back work- but to me, this sounds like it’s got to be some kind of nerve pinching/damage. Wanted to see what your thoughts were- or perhaps what terms and suggestions I should make to a Dr/Chiropractor/Masseuse to get moving in the right direction to rid myself of this pain.

Thanks so much for your article- and all of your responses to your readers!

I’m not a doctor but I can tell you that sometimes people have pain in their chests and they are hooked up to monitors. Many times the monitors show nothing with the heart. Muscles in the back will trigger pain in the chest/heart area.

Rather than tucking your chin down (into the injury position) have you tried the opposite? Lifting your chin to tilt your head back a bit?

Go slowly and thoughtfully. If I were to treat you, based on what you have said about your symptoms and the rugby accident, I would probably start with the muscles on the front side of your neck.

You may be able to find a massage therapist who knows how to work on the longus coli muscles. Those are the same muscles that are shortened in a whiplash injury and you had a doozie!

It sounds like you may have multiple areas contributing to your chest pain. I’m really suspicious that it starts in the muscles of your neck and upper back but at this point, the lower back may also be involved.

I hope this helps you get rid of the pain that feels like a heart problem.

Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach

Great question! And I think it’s both things together. Your body is changing and the bed wasn’t right for you.

Try massaging or rubbing the muscles on the outer side of your back below your shoulder blade (under your armpit.) You might find tender areas there and they may be what’s pulling and causing your back pain.

If you can, find someone to ‘pinch’ that area–lift and pinch the muscle not just the skin–and hold it for several seconds. Then in 20 minutes or so you may notice the discomfort is gone.

Keep taking good care of you and baby.

Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach

I ran across this when searching for some information on my back pain I’ve been having. I traveled 7 days ago and after the first night of sleeping on a different bed I woke up with back pain under my left shoulder blade closer to my spine. It blew it off and assumed it was from sleeping on a different bed and assumed it would go away soon. It’s now 7 days later and the pain is still there, and starting to become irritating! I’m currently 30 weeks pregnant so I assumed maybe it’s the pregnancy that’s causing the sudden pain, but it made more sense to assume it was from sleeping on a different bed because it didn’t start until after I had slept on a different bed. After reading your article I’ve put a couple things together in my head, that seem to make sense to me but maybe I’m being silly. You talked about the front muscles being pulled causing discomfort in this area of the back. I also read an example you had given about a rope being pulled in both directions. After reading so much through the article and responses you have posted to questions I’m beginning to think this back pain could have to do with my growing belly and the pulling of all my stomach muscles. Do you think that could be causing the back pain I previously explained? Or the bed? Or both mixed together? Thanks in advance!