San Jose Chiropractor for Back Pain - Campbell, Willow Glen, CA
Causes, Symptoms, & Effective Solutions
Are you suffering from upper back pain? Do you struggle with your posture? Do you experience muscle tension, disc herniations, or nerve damage?
Upper back pain is a common condition that affects people of all ages. It refers to discomfort or pain in the region of your spine between your neck and lower back, otherwise known as your thoracic spine. Your thoracic spine consists of twelve vertebrae labeled from T1 at the base of your neck down through T12 just below your ribs. Between each vertebra, nerves come out that supply life-essential information to your body. Specifically, the nerves exiting your thoracic spine go to your
- lungs and respiratory system,
- upper back muscles,
- shoulders,
- digestive centers,
- heart and cardiac system,
- liver,
- kidneys,
- adrenal glands,
- and reproductive organs.
Back pain is a leading cause of work-loss days and work limitations, adding up to about 83 million days of work lost per year.¹ Approximately 80% of adults experience back pain in their lives. And while we don’t hear about the thoracic spine as often as the lumbar (lower back) and cervical spine (neck), studies show upper back or thoracic pain is just as disabling, impacting quality of life, long-term health and our ability to work. ²
Our San Jose back pain Chiropractor may be the key to reducing your upper back pain?
Upper back pain can impact your day-to-day activities in several ways. It can make it difficult to sit or stand for long periods, affecting your work, social life, and overall quality of life. It can also make it difficult to perform everyday tasks like dressing, cooking, and cleaning. Upper back pain can lead to headaches, muscle tension, shoulder and arm pain, and fatigue, further impacting your daily activities and preventing you from living your life.
More seriously, upper back pain can impact your health. Chronic pain can lead to depression, anxiety, and decreased quality of life. Seventy-two percent of people with back pain report that feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or worthlessness have interfered with their lives. ³ It can also lead to decreased physical activity, contributing to weight gain, cardiovascular disease, and other health issues. If left untreated, upper back pain can lead to further complications, such as nerve damage, disc herniation, joint degeneration, muscle weakness or chronic muscle tension.
Upper back pain can impact your day-to-day activities in several ways. It can make it difficult to sit or stand for long periods, affecting your work, social life, and overall quality of life. It can also make it difficult to perform everyday tasks like dressing, cooking, and cleaning. Upper back pain can lead to headaches, muscle tension, shoulder and arm pain, and fatigue, further impacting your daily activities and preventing you from living your life.
More seriously, upper back pain can impact your health. Chronic pain can lead to depression, anxiety, and decreased quality of life. Seventy-two percent of people with back pain report that feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or worthlessness have interfered with their lives. ³ It can also lead to decreased physical activity, contributing to weight gain, cardiovascular disease, and other health issues. If left untreated, upper back pain can lead to further complications, such as nerve damage, disc herniation, joint degeneration, muscle weakness or chronic muscle tension.
Upper back pain may be common, but it’s not normal.
Pain is like a check engine light warning you that something is happening under the surface. So, what is the underlying cause of your upper back pain? And how can we help?
When the spine shifts in the upper back, the underlying structure, vertebrae, joints, ligaments, and tendons can compress nerves that go down your shoulder and arm to your chest and ribs. We feel the larger muscles of the upper back, like the trapezius and rhomboids, become tight and constricted due to the stress, which creates muscle tension and imbalance, leading to more pain and dysfunction of the shoulder and shoulder blades. This leads to restricted motion of the back as well as the shoulder. What we don’t feel is the reduction in nerve supply going to our heart, liver, lungs, etc.
I've tried everything for my upper back pain! How is Platinum Chiropractic different?
At Platinum Chiropractic, we focus on Neuro-Structural Correction, which assesses the underlying structure of the spine and nervous system for Neuro-Structural Shifts. Think about it like this: if a house has a poor foundation, you may have secondary problems. The walls may be cracking, the plumbing or electric systems aren’t working right, and the doors and windows are not closing correctly. You can keep addressing these individual issues (symptoms), but they will likely keep recurring until the underlying cause is corrected (Neuro-Structural Shift). The spine serves as your body’s foundation, supporting all the organs, muscles, and connective tissue.
By finding the underlying cause of your upper back pain, we can formulate a customized care plan to help restore your spine and nervous system to normal. Restoring proper function to the spine relieves pressure off the muscles, tendons, discs, and nerves. At that point, people begin to notice the symptoms of upper back pain improving due to better alignment and mobility in the spine. They can get back to living their lives normally and returning to the activities they love.
Don’t let chronic upper back pain control your life any longer. Schedule a Complimentary Consultation today and take the first step towards regaining your life.
¹ United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2002). “Lost-Worktime Injuries and Illnesses: Characteristics and Resulting Time Away From Work.” USDL News Release 02-196.
² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2720379/
³ M. BenDebba, W. S. Torgerson, D. M. Long (1997). “Personality Traits, Pain Duration and Severity, Functional Impairment, and Psychological Distress in Patients with Persistent Low Back Pain.” Pain 72: 115-125.
I've tried everything for my upper back pain! How is Platinum Chiropractic different?
At Platinum Chiropractic, we focus on Neuro-Structural Correction, which assesses the underlying structure of the spine and nervous system for Neuro-Structural Shifts. Think about it like this: if a house has a poor foundation, you may have secondary problems. The walls may be cracking, the plumbing or electric systems aren’t working right, and the doors and windows are not closing correctly. You can keep addressing these individual issues (symptoms), but they will likely keep recurring until the underlying cause is corrected (Neuro-Structural Shift). The spine serves as your body’s foundation, supporting all the organs, muscles, and connective tissue.
By finding the underlying cause of your upper back pain, we can formulate a customized care plan to help restore your spine and nervous system to normal. Restoring proper function to the spine relieves pressure off the muscles, tendons, discs, and nerves. At that point, people begin to notice the symptoms of upper back pain improving due to better alignment and mobility in the spine. They can get back to living their lives normally and returning to the activities they love.
Don’t let chronic upper back pain control your life any longer. Schedule a Complimentary Consultation today and take the first step towards regaining your life.
¹ United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2002). “Lost-Worktime Injuries and Illnesses: Characteristics and Resulting Time Away From Work.” USDL News Release 02-196.
² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2720379/
³ M. BenDebba, W. S. Torgerson, D. M. Long (1997). “Personality Traits, Pain Duration and Severity, Functional Impairment, and Psychological Distress in Patients with Persistent Low Back Pain.” Pain 72: 115-125.
Testimonials
Learn more about Neuro-Structural Correction vs. Conventional Chiropractic
At Platinum Chiropractic, we believe there should be no surprises in healthcare.
If you would like to schedule a complimentary consultation with our chiropractor, Dr. Karo, who serves San Jose, Campbell, Willow Glen, and surrounding areas, please fill out the form below or call 408-533-0553.
Latest Blog
Our blogs, latest activities, and some of our articles.
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The greatest obstacle to a new PB isn’t your training plan. It’s the interruptions. How
runners use sports chiropractic to protect performance.
Sports Chiropractor in San Jose: Every Swing Impacts Your Spine
Golf, tennis, pickleball, and other racket sports rotate the spine in one direction, thousands of times a season. That repetition shapes your alignment, nerve communication, and performance.
How Back to School Stress Affects Your Spine & Nervous System
Earlier alarms, longer drives, less sleep, heavier backpacks. The fall routine asks more of your body than it did a month ago, and it reaches the spine and nervous system.
Sports Chiropractic for Runners: How to Protect Performance & Hit New PBs
The greatest obstacle to a new PB isn’t your training plan. It’s the interruptions. How
runners use sports chiropractic to protect performance.
How Back to School Stress Affects Your Spine & Nervous System
Earlier alarms, longer drives, less sleep, heavier backpacks. The fall routine asks more of your body than it did a month ago, and it reaches the spine and nervous system.
Sports Chiropractic for Runners: How to Protect Performance & Hit New PBs
The greatest obstacle to a new PB isn’t your training plan. It’s the interruptions. How
runners use sports chiropractic to protect performance.
Sports Chiropractor in San Jose: Every Swing Impacts Your Spine
Golf, tennis, pickleball, and other racket sports rotate the spine in one direction, thousands of times a season. That repetition shapes your alignment, nerve communication, and performance.