Suffering With Joy

Simple Way to Stop Mid-back Pain

July 1, 2010

For several weeks now my husband has been complaining of mid-back pain below the shoulder blades.  It’s so bad he’s had to abandon washing the dishes.  Since we don’t have a dishwasher, yours truly has stepped into the breech.  Given that I can’t stand and prepare a meal without sitting down occasionally due to my own fibro and mid-back pain, this is not a good thing. When I looked at him from the side I was shocked to see how rounded and stoop-shouldered he was.Immediately I said that this was a physical therapy issue and sure enough, it is.

Fortunately today was our usual day to do therapy exercises at the fitness center and the physical therapist who also has fibromyalgia was in the pool working out when I was.  When Roger showed up at the pool to do a little warm water work, I asked the therapist what he thought.  Good news. He said that fixing the hunch problem and pain is easy.

This is the first time that gravity does a favor to an aging body. Yup.  Gravity.  It’s awful for neck wattles, eyelids and eyebrows and other body parts unmentionable, but great for stoop shoulders.

The therapist said to get an exercise mat at Walmart and put it on the floor – you need a hard surface or this won’t work. Lie down on the mat and relax.  Let gravity do its job. No kidding.  The tightened chest muscles that are pulling the shoulders into a forward curve and straining the mid-back muscles will get the gentle stretching they need and the mid-back muscles will get relief. Do this exercise once or twice a day.  At the beginning the shoulders won’t be able to touch the mat all the way across, but after a few days, they will rest flat on the floor according to the therapist.  The improved flexibility will help relieve the back pain and straighten the back. It’s a good exercise to keep on doing to avoid future problems, too.

Since I have had mid-back pain for years, I immediately came home and tried this approach.  It felt so good I didn’t want to get up off the floor.  This is the best excuse I’ve ever had for just lying around. Now if I catch him snoozing on the floor I’ll have to cut hubby slack if I need him to do something and he says he’s busy exercising.

Tags: wellness

2 Comments to Simple Way to Stop Mid-back Pain

1. 

   “Lie down on the mat and relax.”

   Hey … I could do this exercise all day long. I could close my eyes and do some serious thinking at the same time.

   God bless. Praying you both get better soon.
Victor S E Moubarak on July 1st, 2010
2. 

   Thanks, Victor. We are making slow progress but God is blessing us by putting people in our lives who can help us.
barb on July 1st, 2010

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