From the Research
Treatment Options for Unilateral Upper Back Muscle Pain and Tension
- The therapeutic effect of collateral meridian therapy is comparable to acupoint pressure therapy in treating myofascial pain syndrome, as shown in a study published in 2014 1.
- Rehabilitation exercises can be a valuable adjunct to other modalities of treatment of myofascial pain syndrome causing upper back pain, with 78.13% of patients reporting improvement after treatment 2.
- A multimodal approach is essential for effective upper back pain management, with over three-quarters of respondents in a survey of New Zealand osteopaths and manipulative physiotherapists strongly agreeing with this statement 3.
- Treatment options for back pain include pharmacological agents, such as analgesic and muscle relaxation therapies, and nonpharmacological approaches, such as rehabilitation and surgical intervention 4.
Diagnostic Techniques
- Palpation can detect increased muscle tension in a limited proportion of cases, with examiners correctly identifying the painful side in 64.8% of cases of lower back pain and 58.5% of cases of neck pain 5.
- A red-flag system has been developed for the early identification of at-risk patients with a potentially severe disease presenting with back pain, and early diagnosis and identification of the cause of complaints often requires multidisciplinary cooperation 4.
Therapeutic Techniques
- Collateral meridian therapy and acupoint pressure therapy have been shown to be effective in treating myofascial pain syndrome, with significant improvements in visual analogue scale, range of motion, pain pressure threshold, regional superficial blood flow, and physical health 1.
- Soft tissue techniques, spinal manipulations, rib manipulations, rib mobilizations, and visceral techniques are commonly used by osteopaths in the management of upper back pain, with osteopaths being significantly more likely to use these techniques than physiotherapists 3.