Chronic upper back knots

[googe]

Anyone get these and know how to deal with it? My shoulders and neck are just a mess of knots. Way too much for the tennis ball against the wall trick.

[lint]

Theracane http://www.theracane.com/
Rumble roller http://rumbleroller.com/

[G-ZUS]

Deep tissue massage?

[Matty_10]

Curious do you have gerd/acid reflux?

[Rat Fink]

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[ExtraSlow]

Also, don't just focus on that one area of your body. Tightness can be caused by imbalance in a different area. I had some awful hip/quad/glute tightness, which caused all sorts of problems in my mid and upper back.

It's all connected man. If this is an ongoing issue for you, maybe go see a professional? I had great success with a physiotherapist.

[scboss]

Are you currently working out? Do you sit at a desk or in front of a computer for long periods at a time?

If you take a picture of your posture I can help you out. In the mean time try these stretches out



I had a serious injury in my lower trap area last year and these stretches have been money for improving my upper back and shoulder mobility.

You might also have alot of tightness in your lower lats. I can usually tell just by your posture so post it up when you have time.

[JfuckinC]

skip the tennis ball and get a street hockey ball or lacrosse ball

[JordanEG6]

I'm experiencing the same problem. I usually get a deep tissue massage every month, which helps out, but it adds up and I don't think once a month is enough, especially if I'm going to the gym frequently.

Maybe try going in for a deep tissue massage or IMS one or 2 times. Then try stretching those muscles and massaging them yourself periodically with those tools that lint posted (or similar).

[revelations]

Its a battle - I use a GOLF ball against a wall now. DMT helps, but not cheap.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by revelations
DMT helps, but not cheap.

wait.... what?

[revelations]

sorry ... DTM (deep tissue massage)

[ercchry]

Originally posted by revelations
sorry ... DTM (deep tissue massage)

that makes WAY more sense

[msommers]

I would look into massage therapy, core strengthening, chair ergonomics and a big one, your posture.

You may also want to try a different pillow type and size, along with forcing yourself into different sleeping positions.

Start one of these things at a time to figure out what is effective and what isn't.

Do you workout? Do you stretch well? Tried hot yoga?

Something weird for me is lower back pain and joint issues when I've drank way too much coffee.

Good luck!

[v2kai]

Had the same issue with shoulders and neck; giving me killer headaches. Acupuncture was a huge help. Shoving a needle directly into those suckers and just zen-ing out for an hour all but eliminated them for me. Did that every other week or so for a few months and now very rarely go to acupuncture at all.

Now if they are creeping back I find if i dig really deep under and into the tense muscle with a pincer/spock grip until I find that really sensitive one and just squeeze for 5-10 minutes as hard as I can it disappears with the same efficacy as the acupuncture did for me at the start. The acupuncture helped me realize the muscles that were really giving me the headaches were on the sides of my neck and deep in my shoulders if you dig straight under from the top. It's hard to get a good grip on the neck ones, I find if you to lean your head towards the side youre trying to get at to loosen up and relax your shoulder and neck muscles it's easier to get a good grip and clamp down. I actually find this a better solution than someone else massaging me because I can identify the problem spots when I feel I'm on them whereas someone else doesnt have that feedback loop to really wail on the problem muscles.

Also what everyone else is saying is a big help with stretching and exercise.

[googe]

Yeah I'm pretty convinced it's related to sleeping position. I'm sure better posture and working out wouldn't hurt but I think the major source is either having my neck at a bad angle or having weight on my arms/elbows. The stiffness is pretty heavily on one side.

Anyone else who has similar, do you sleep on your stomach by any chance?

[lint]

Originally posted by googe
Yeah I'm pretty convinced it's related to sleeping position. I'm sure better posture and working out wouldn't hurt but I think the major source is either having my neck at a bad angle or having weight on my arms/elbows. The stiffness is pretty heavily on one side.

Anyone else who has similar, do you sleep on your stomach by any chance?

one opinion on why sleeping on your stomach is bad

[revelations]

Originally posted by v2kai
Had the same issue with shoulders and neck; giving me killer headaches. Acupuncture was a huge help. Shoving a needle directly into those suckers and just zen-ing out for an hour all but eliminated them for me. Did that every other week or so for a few months and now very rarely go to acupuncture at all.

Also what everyone else is saying is a big help with stretching and exercise.

I gotta try acupunture .... its time now

Originally posted by googe
Yeah I'm pretty convinced it's related to sleeping position. I'm sure better posture and working out wouldn't hurt but I think the major source is either having my neck at a bad angle or having weight on my arms/elbows. The stiffness is pretty heavily on one side.

Anyone else who has similar, do you sleep on your stomach by any chance?

Yes, stomach sleep all the time (drooool)

Originally posted by lint


one opinion on why sleeping on your stomach is bad

Def some things worth trying ...

[tomt64]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Also, don't just focus on that one area of your body. Tightness can be caused by imbalance in a different area. I had some awful hip/quad/glute tightness, which caused all sorts of problems in my mid and upper back.

It's all connected man. If this is an ongoing issue for you, maybe go see a professional? I had great success with a physiotherapist.

Totally agree ^^

Ever tried ART [Active Release Technique] before? Caution long story:

I had years of small back problems and last December it got so bad I had to quit my job as a tech. I love to play sports and be active, so to be lying face down on my bed new years eve not being able to move was not a good moment. I had numerous small injuries which all contributed to one big waste.

Went and had A.R.T performed on my back, neck and shoulders combined with rehab/foam rolling/learning correct techniques to run/jump/cut etc to get me back to normal.

Its pretty much a piece of metal that they scrape against your muscles to help release tight fibers that have suffered years of abuse that do not release properly. It is straight up the most painful thing ever experienced for me, esp around the shoulder/armpit... but it was worth it.

Beforehand I would just go see a chiro guy to pop me into place [fixing just the problem... not the cause of the problem] and dtm which in the later stages [talking years here] didnt make me feel any better.
I used to attempt to use a roller on my back and would be in crazy pain from all the knots, now I use a roller every day and its like brand new, smooth as butter.


Sorry for the long post, just posting my positive result about it. Just make sure whoever doing it is actually qualified to decide on the correct course of action and not just some scrape happy art person.

[revelations]

Tried sleeping on my back last night, had a hard time sleeping but I feel totally different today. Had a sore shoulder the last two days (bursitis?) that has totally disappeared as of this morning

I'd say its a good start Thx for the tips folks.