Why runners often get upper back pain and how to get rid of it

Causes of pain

Physiotherapist Ben Shatto says that most of these pains are experienced by beginners, especially those who train without a coach. This happens for several reasons: poor running technique, poor posture and weak back muscles.

1. High load on the upper back. Since the whole body works during running, towards the end of a long workout, not only the legs, but also the body get tired. As a result of this, imperceptibly for us, the head begins to outstrip the body, stretches forward, we begin to slouch. The head in front of our body puts additional stress on the upper back.

It can be compared to a bowling ball on a stick. Keeping it level is easy enough. But, as soon as you tilt the ball forward a little, the load is immediately felt - it becomes much more difficult to hold it. So it is with the head: our body has to include much more muscles in the work than with its correct position.

2. Incorrect hand position while running. We can either hold them too high or too close to the body. This usually happens when we start to get tired: the shoulders move up, excessive tension appears in them. In addition to this, some people start swinging their arms too much from side to side, and some, on the contrary, keep them too tense and motionless.

Chiropractor Nick Studholme advises against swinging your arms too hard. They should move in the correct trajectory: the fist is at the level of your hip and then lifted to the level of the elbow of the other bent arm.

3. The source of pain may not be where it hurts. Just because you feel pain in certain places does not mean that they are sources of pain. Thomas Hyde, professor of sports medicine at Western States University, gives an example of a study that looked at fascia. When the fascia at the bottom of the spine is taut, it triggers a response in the opposite shoulder. That is, it is possible that the pain in the upper back while running is caused by problems that are much lower in origin.

There are also studies that show that hypersensitive nerves located just under the skin can be the cause of pain. The repetitive movement of running can cause these nerves to become entangled in skin tissue, resulting in irritation and unpleasant pain.

4. Change in pH level. The production of lactic acid can change the acidity level. The more you run, the more your muscles get tired, the more lactic acid accumulates in your body, the stronger the nerve response and pain sensations. There are special gels to restore the pH level and acupressure to help the nerves. However, these are only aids, without which we again face the main problem - a weak back and incorrect running technique.

5. Sedentary work and freezing in smartphones. Most runners, other than professional athletes and coaches, are ordinary people who spend most of their workday at their desk or constantly reading something on their smartphones. They often hunch over, and this puts additional stress on the cervical spine, shoulder girdle and back. And if just while walking we are able to more or less cope with our posture, then while running our body gives up.

Exercises

Dr. Shatto recommends special exercises that will strengthen the lower and middle trapezius muscles, the rhomboid muscles, as well as the muscles along the spine and at the base of the neck: push-ups, pulling the arms back using an expander, "superman" on the floor, and the like.

Studholm recommends working on the serratus anterior muscles that run along the ribs and under the shoulder blades. The difficulty is to include these muscles in the work without involving the upper muscles, which are dominant (that is, they are most often used).

It is also important to strengthen those muscles that will not allow our body to curl up, and the neck and shoulders - to constantly stretch forward due to prolonged sedentary work at the computer.

We also recommend that you watch videos with exercises for the back and correct posture: