Tag Archives: pain relief coach

Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots, Upper Back Pain

How To Strengthen Your Upper Back To Relieve Upper Back Muscle Pain

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It takes a lot of work to get rid of your upper back muscle pain.  But it’s well worth it!

The problem that causes your back pain is probably a weak back or poor posture (same thing!)  Strengthening your upper back can relief miserable muscle pain.

Here’s an email I received:

> Honestly Kathryn, I ‘ve been a little worse. I’ve been trying to
> strenghthen my upper back since I sit all day at a desk, and it seems like
> my shoulders KILL me the day after. I’ve only done it a couple of times; do
> you think that once they actually get used to working, it might help? My
> upper body is SO weak. I would love your advice on this.

Here’s my response:

If you do strengthening movements too often right off the bat your muscles will ache just as they will from any new exercise program that’s done too aggressively.  As they get stronger you will feel better.

It’s good to start slowly and thoughtfully.

Do your strengthening movement only a few times to start.  You can do more and more repetitions as your body adjusts.

You can also use a foam noodle to help relax the muscles in the front of your body and start strengthening your back.  Lay over the noodle (or towel rolled long-wise) so the noodle is behind your spine.  Let your shoulder blades “fall” to the floor.

Getting rid of your upper back pain is a two part process:

  1. Stretch the muscles in front of your body.
  2. Strengthen your back.

I also have a website called http://SimpleStrengthening.com

If you haven’t been there yet I have articles with simple movements that you can do in bed to strengthen your upper back and help correct your posture.

All of those movements–and more–are in the Simple Strengthening video that is included in the Knots In Your Back program I created just for people with upper back pain (like you.)

You have smart muscles.  They just need a bit of help from you right now to get rid of your upper back pain naturally.

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Causes of Back Pain, Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots

What Causes Knots In Your Back & How To Get Rid Of Muscle Knots Naturally

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Get rid of muscles knots in your upper back naturally!
You can get rid of muscle knots in your upper back naturally!

Are you tired of suffering with miserable muscle ‘knots’ in your back?   Would you like to know how can you get rid of the muscle spasms in your back naturally and forever?

The first thing is to figure out WHY you are getting these muscle knots.  I’m not being silly here.

There are always reasons why you have pain.  Usually the reasons involve muscles.

Muscles move bones.  Without muscles, we go nowhere.  But sometimes muscles get unhappy and cause symptoms like pain and knots.

It’s a big deal that muscles are usually overlooked as being causes of pain.  They shouldn’t be overlooked because they are responsible for probably 90% of all soft tissue pain.

So the answer is not to attack only the area where it hurts because those are just symptoms.

The answer is to get to the root cause of your knot. Figure Continue reading What Causes Knots In Your Back & How To Get Rid Of Muscle Knots Naturally →

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Lower Back Pain, Natural Back Pain Relief

Lower Back Pain and Massage Therapy

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Got pain in your lower back?  Want to know how to get rid of it? |

Therapeutic massage could be the ‘magic pill’ that you are seeking to get rid of that low back pain!

Here’s why your lower back aches:

There are muscles on the front and back sides of your body and on the outer sides of your spine.  If any of those muscles get out of balance–some tight and some weaker–you can have lower back pain.

Those muscle can get out of balance from lifting with a rounded back, twisting and tilting while lifting, having a leg length difference, or something as simple as always sitting or sleeping in the same position.

How can a massage therapist help?

If you go to a massage therapist who only rubs your back, that Continue reading Lower Back Pain and Massage Therapy →

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Causes of Back Pain, Lower Back Pain, Natural Back Pain Relief

A Common Cause of Low Back Pain

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What’s the most common cause of lower back pain?  Well, there are actually TWO common causes.

Cause #1:  Not enough curve in the lower back caused by collapsed or slouching posture.  We are supposed to have a nice, easy curve behind your waist that goes toward your tummy.  When we collapse forward, we lose that nice curve.  You get a ‘flat back’ and a ‘forward head.’

Cause #2.  Too much curve in the lower back.  That happens Continue reading A Common Cause of Low Back Pain →

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Causes of Back Pain, Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help, Upper Back Pain

Why Do Teens Get Knots In Their Backs

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Are you a teenager with “knots” in your back by your shoulder blades?  Or do you know a teen who complains of upper back pain?

Why does this happen?

The muscles in the front of bodies are actually about 30% stronger than the muscles in the back of the body.

Get rid of muscles knots in your back naturally!
Get rid of muscle knots in your back naturally!

When someone spends a lot of time in positions that Continue reading Why Do Teens Get Knots In Their Backs →

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Causes of Back Pain, Upper Back Pain

What Causes Those Miserable Knots and Muscle Spasms In Your Upper Back

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Why are muscles spasms in upper backs such a common problem now?

Here’s a list of some of the most common reasons for those miserable muscle knots:

Lifestyle.
Computers.
Couches.
Laptops.
Car seats.
Working positions.
Habits.
Weak back muscles.
TMS (Too Much Sitting).
TMJF (Too Much Junk Food) Poor nutrition.
Mineral deficiencies.

But all of these can be overcome.

Honest!  It’s your body and you have to take action to get better.  No one can do it for you.  (But some people, like Continue reading What Causes Those Miserable Knots and Muscle Spasms In Your Upper Back →

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Lower Back Pain, Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help

Cool Tool To Get Rid of Lower Back Muscle Strain

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Got pain in your lower back?  Do you think it might be muscle strain?

Some people have too little curve behind their waist and some have too much curve.  This article is for the flat-backed folks who have too little curve behind their waist.

You used to have a curve in your lower back behind your waist.

The curve pointed inward toward your belly.  In fact, you HAD to have that curve in order to learn to walk.

But then you started Continue reading Cool Tool To Get Rid of Lower Back Muscle Strain →

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Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help

Your Legs Can Cause Low Back Pain

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Do you have lower back pain?  Did you know that your legs might be causing that pain?  It’s true!

I’ll give you some background and then a quick stretching tip for getting rid of the pain in your lower back:

Here’s how your body works:

The muscles in the front of your thighs and the  insides of your thighs (where they touch each other) pull on your back because they are actually attached to your pelvis and spine.  Since they are attached to your bones,  the muscles can PULL on your pelvis and spine.

Those muscles pull on your Continue reading Your Legs Can Cause Low Back Pain →

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Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help

Does Yoga Help Get Rid Of Back Pain Naturally?

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Can yoga exercises get rid of your back pain?

Last week two different people wrote to tell me how much difference yoga made in their pain.  And did you know there are yoga classes specifically for people with back pain?

The really good thing about the practice of yoga movements is Continue reading Does Yoga Help Get Rid Of Back Pain Naturally? →

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Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help

Inversion Tables – Does Inversion Get Rid Of Back Pain?

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Have you been wondering about using an inversion table to help get rid of back pain naturally?  Or how inversion tables work?

Here’s some helpful info:

Inversion tables DO help get rid of back pain.  They create a little more space between your spinal bones.  Stretching two or three times a day for at least a few minutes reduces the pressure of gravity.

That’s the whole thing:  Gravity.

It keeps us from floating off into space but it also squashes us down.

Gravity can cause pain unless we do things to counteract it.  Inversion is one of those things.

Some of the older style inversion tables have Continue reading Inversion Tables – Does Inversion Get Rid Of Back Pain? →

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