1. Stress Less
The link between depression/anxiety and upper back pain, including interscapular pain, has been clearly proven. If you’re having a hard time of things, it often shows up in your upper back. Avoid stressors as much as possible, and where it’s not possible, remember that true happiness isn’t about circumstances, it’s about outlook. That said, if you can get away from it all and spend a day relaxing in the park with your family/friends/dog/favourite book, then do it—your body will thank you.
2. Use a Foam Roller
Grab a yoga mat and a foam roller, lie down on the mat with the foam roller underneath the affected area, and roll that pain away! (Get your chiropractor to double-check your form while you’re doing it, to make sure that you’re rolling evenly.)
3. Interscapular Exercises
In order to work out which exercises are right for you, the underlying cause of the pain will need to be established; in other words, once you’ve made sure that there’s no secondary cause (arthritis, etc.), the next step is to consult your chiropractor to work out exactly why the pain is happening and what the best way to treat it will be. Because interscapular pain can have so many different causes, it’s important to treat it with the right exercises so that you don’t inadvertently make things worse!
4. Massage
As is so often the case with back pain, a good massage can relieve the pain either temporarily or permanently. Occasional interscapular pain (i.e. after going too hard at the gym) can often be treated with massage; however, if you’re finding the pain is ongoing, then massage is often only a temporary solution that doesn’t address the root cause. But using massage in conjunction with other treatments in order to get rid of that muscle pain and softening out your lumps and bumps will help loosen your stiff upper back and get you ready to do your exercises more effectively. If you’ve got someone at home who can give you a massage in between treatments, so much the better—ask your chiropractor or massage therapist to show them how to care for your back while you’re recovering.
5. Hot Packs
If the pain is caused by inflammation, then hot packs or heating pads can help to reduce the inflammation and the pain that it causes. Get yourself a nice wheat bag, have a lie down and take it easy for a few hours—your mind and body will thank you!
We hope that these tips will help you to relieve the pain between your shoulder blades, so you can get back to doing the things that you love best!