Back Pain

Right upper back pain and a headache?

I have the worst pain in my upper right back area, close to my shoulder blade. It feels like I have to crack my back. I can't even take a deep breath it hurts so bad. I also have a headache, I am not sure that the two are related as I had the headache yesterday before the back pain. Any ideas if the two could be related and also how to get rid of this pain, it's terrible. I've had it before, in the same place, could it be something that I have to have looked at?

Public Comments

1. respiratory problems are kind of serious. It sounds like you pulled a muscle. If it were me and if there was no injury I could think of that caused it (ie: you bruised your back, it's sore from sports) I would wait a few days and see what happened. BUT it's affecting your breathing, and that's something you don't mess around with. I'd get it checked. I've heard of back pains causing headaches before. I think if you eliminated the pain the headaches would go away, too.
2. Pinched muscles will cause that and pinched muscles in your back can be putting pressure on the nerves going to the lungs. Here is how to release all the muscles involved: For your neck: place your hand alongside your head and push your thumb in under your ear and place it on the muscle there. Take your fingers and place them on the back of your neck on the muscles there. Press them together and hold a good amount of pressure on them. Then relax, take a deep breath and exhale. After 30 seconds you should be feeling the muscle going limp under the pressure. Continue to hold until the entire muscle has gone limp, then lean your head forward as far as you can, release the pressure but hold your head there for another 30 seconds. Back: Place your left hand on your left knee. Place your right hand over your left shoulder and with your fingertips find the muscle next to your spine. Press on it and hold. Relax, take a deep breath and exhale and don’t tense up any part of your body. After about 30 seconds there should be a release happening and when it does slowly lower yourself forward onto your right leg. If you can lean over the outside edge of your leg it will be better for your release. Continue holding for a total of one minute. Then release but rest your body there for one minute longer. Then reverse and do the right side.
3. In reality, the two can very well be related, but I feel that the main problem is the one in your back and not the headache. What it sounds like is a subluxation (misaligned bone) causing nerve impingement. The subluxation could be of a vertebra in your spine or one of the ribs. The most likely muscle being affected is the trapezius muscle. This muscle attaches both in the upper back area and the back of the skull, therefore tension in this muscle can produce a tension headache as well as upper back pain. The absolute best way to take care of this is to go to a chiropractor.