Upper back tension

[lbeauvoir]

This past year I have been suffering from upper back tension every day.  I'm a little concerned now since it's been going on for about a year now. I'm in pain everyday, all day long. I find this unsual since I'm only 21 fit and have a healthy diet.  I try to keep a good posture and take muscle relaxers but doesn't help much. Is there something else I can try or should I seek a local physician for help?  

[mike1105]

both of you need to check out Upper Crossed Syndrome. It is a postural/muscular syndrome-- very common (and almost always not diagnosed) especially with computer users. see a website by Erik Dalton to explain the problem, and a website by Jolie Bookspan to fix it. You must be disciplined and patient. You have to retrain your muscles. You have to strengthen the midback and posterior scapular stabilizer muscles (eg rhomboids) and stretch/trigger point release in the shortened tight muscles of your upper chest and neck (scalenes, pecs, scms, upper traps). get your head  back over the spine and most importantly KEEP IT THERE !!!  good luck. You;d be surprised how many people thnk their posture is good when in actuality it is not.

[Jakataer]

I suffer with the same thing.  It's my left side starting around the scapula and goes up to shoulders and neck.  I, too, have been suffering for a year, but I told the doctor's six months because I thought if I said a year and some months, they'd think I was putting on.  So I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem, but I am sorry you're suffering, too.

I went to my doctor, and she said my whole left side was swollen, and she prescribed me some muscle relaxer.  Those pills helped 5% of 100.  It help relieve the swelling, but I am still sore in my back.  If I twist to the left, it hurts.  Sometimes it hurts too breath (no joke).  Sometimes it flares up and it hurts to bend down.  I go to the hairdresser, and I swear I want to yell for mercy when my head is leaned back into the washer bowl.  To sit up a long time, hurts.  Waking up in the morning, my back is stiff. I called her back and let her know that my back hurts, and she called me in a prescription for novocaine.  I don't know about you, but I'm not the type person who likes taking too many prescpriptions at once.  I'm already on Toprol for hypertension, muscle relaxers, aciphex for reflux, ???for allergies (forgot the name), and now novocaine.

I think we may need to go to a back specialist.  Maybe a chiropractor or an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the back.  I don't know, but I'm there with you, and if you happen to find out something before me, please pass on the vital information as will I.