1. Upper back pain
As you may have already guessed, the most common culprit here is posture. Do you sit for 8 or 9 hours a day, 5 days a week in front of a computer, often forgetting to take breaks, and spend your lunchtime Googling pictures of cats? Have you been doing so for years, ignoring medical advice/your mom’s frequent reminders not to slouch because you only have one body and it has to last you a long time? Well, time to say sorry to mom and install that app that reminds you to stretch, because it turns out that she was right. All too often, we don’t take stretching or breaks seriously until a lot of damage is already done: conditions like forward head posture are all-too-common – in fact, increasingly so, and often in younger patients who’ve already spent a good chunk of their lives staring down at a handheld game console in their lap.
Chiropractic treatment can be very effective not only in reducing the symptoms of upper back pain, but also recommending exercises to help you improve your posture, and identifying other possible causes of the pain that you are experiencing: sometimes the pain can be referred from another part of your body, can be due to bad posture elsewhere (i.e. bad knees) or can be linked with conditions such as joint hypermobility or scoliosis. A good chiropractor will approach your treatment holistically to establish the root causes of your pain, helping you move towards recovery and a happier, healthier you.
2. Shortness of breath
While it’s normal to feel short of breath after a run, it’s not normal to feel it when you’re sitting at your desk! Shortness of breath is often a symptom of anxiety disorder, and ironically the stress associated with not knowing what’s causing the discomfort when you breathe can make you feel even more anxious. Generally, if anxiety is the cause, you are getting enough air, but your chest muscles are indeed tight due to stress. You may be breathing in a shallow manner due to the fight-or-flight reflex that comes with anxiety, rather than breathing through your diaphragm.
Stress is a big part of our day-to-day lives, and often stressors are avoidable: whether the kids are fighting, you’re working long hours at the office, you’re upset about something that’s happened or you’re worrying that something might happen, there’s no way to completely avoid stress. You should take steps to minimize it – burn-out is not your friend! – but you should also incorporate self-care into your life; mindfulness meditation may sound cheesy, but it really works wonders. Do a Google search for “positive psychology” and see what steps you can take towards a happier you.
Another cause of shortness of breath is spine misalignment, and that’s where a great chiropractor comes in. Bad posture can put pressure on your chest, causing shortness of breath; it can also be caused by a pinched nerve. Working with your chiropractor to fix your spinal misalignment can do wonders for your health.
There are, of course, more serious causes of shortness of breath, including angina and even a (potentially fatal!) heart attack. If you’re experiencing shortness of breath, it’s certainly best to err on the side of caution and seek medical attention so it can be established whether you have a serious medical condition, or something more minor that can be solved with chiropractic treatment (or even with a once-a-week bubble bath to de-stress yourself!)
Establishing the cause of your upper back pain and shortness of breath, and taking the steps to fix it, can literally be life-changing. Talk with your physician about whether chiropractic treatment is right for you. Investing in your health now will have important returns for your future, so take good care of yourself!