Upper Back Pain


Although lower back pain and neck pain receive a lot of attention, upper back pain is also quite common.If your job requires you to sit in a chair all day, you may be at particular risk for developing a degenerative condition. Dr. Jack Alajajian and his staff at ChiroCareLA.com in Glendale can help you recover quickly and safely, but first, we’ll have to determine the nature of the injury.


 


The twelve thoracic vertebrae are somewhat better protected than the rest of the spine from acute injuries. They are less mobile due to their connections to the ribs, and the upper thoracic vertebrae are supported by the shoulder muscles. However, the discs between them may degenerate, particularly if a person is older or often dehydrated, and the facet joints between them may develop arthritis. The muscles running between the vertebrae can also be worn down by overuse, or they may shorten from underuse. Nerves branching out of the thoracic vertebrae lead to the chest and abdomen, so a nerve root compression could cause radiating pain.


 


Strengthening the shoulders and upper back muscles can help reduce stress on the spine, but patients will have to ensure they are stretching regularly throughout the day. If you work in an office, it’s a good idea to get up and move around at least every half hour. We can treat herniated discs and compressed nerve roots with spinal decompression and can provide instruction on better posture. We may also recommend bracing early on for more troublesome injuries.


 


Dr. Jack Alajajian and his staff operate ChiroCareLA.com at 815 E Colorado Suite 250, Glendale CA, 91205. Call 818-246-3600.




 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Importance of Strong Cores

Of all the things we can do to maintain total body wellness, one of the most important is keeping our cores strong. This isn’t just a matter of liking the way we look or being in competitive athletic shape; our core muscles provide critical support to our spines and hip bones. At ChiroCareLA in Glendale, Dr. Jack Alajajian and his team are committed to helping our patients sustain wellness over the course of their lives, and for that, it’s necessary to understand some basic aspects of the core and how to care for it.   The muscles of our abdomen are made up of several layers that are all shaped differently. The deepest core muscle is the transverse abdominis, which wraps around our visceral organs in horizontal bands. The internal and external oblique muscles are on the sides of the trunk and are involved with rotating it and bending the spine. The rectus abdominis muscle is the one on the front that forms the “abs” and connects to the sternum. It helps to stabilize the trunk, but keep
Read more

Hip Labral Tears

Do you suffer from pain, weakness, or stiffness in one of your hips? If so, don’t think that’s just a natural consequence of aging or healthy activity. Dr. Alajajian and his staff in Glendale, CA, believe everyone is entitled to a life free from pain. We practice holistic, non-invasive therapies to help our patients maintain wellness. As experts in the musculoskeletal system, we’re particularly concerned with hip pain and the possibility that a patient may be suffering from a hip labral tear.   A labrum is a ring of cartilage around a ball-and-socket joint. The ones on the hips keep the femurs and pelvis aligned and allow the legs to rotate completely and smoothly. But when a labrum tears, the leg may catch or make clicking sounds when it moves, and a patient may feel a deep, constant ache that is especially bad when they attempt to stand up or walk on stairs. Hip labral tears can develop because of an acute injury, or they may be caused by repeated stress over a long period of time.
Read more

Sacroiliac Joint Disorder

Do you feel an ache on one side of your lower back? Does your hip feel stiff, or like it can’t support your weight? Lower back pain is unfortunately common and has a variety of causes. But at ChiroCareLA in Glendale, Dr. Jack Alajajian and his staff are equipped to not only diagnose patients’ problems and treat them noninvasively, but also to help them prevent relapses. Today we’re going to take a closer look at one of the most common causes of lower back pain: sacroiliac joint dysfunction.   Although the name sacroiliac joint dysfunction might sound complicated, it’s really just a description of the joint that is being affected. The sacrum is a structure made up of fused vertebrae that dangles beneath our lumbar spines and connects to the pelvis. The connecting part of the pelvis is called the ilium, of which there is one on each side, and it includes the bony crests at the top of the pelvis. The sacroiliac joint is a shock absorber, but it doesn’t normally have very much mobility. Th
Read more