You’re getting ready to relax after a long day when *yawn*OUCH!!!!Your deep breath caused a sharp pain in your back. You take another deep breath and sure enough, you still have pain when breathing.
Someone who experiences pain in their back when breathing may feel worried, but sometimes its nothing more than a short-lived twinge. Unfortunately there are instances when it’s a nagging pain that won’t go away. Could it be something serious? Is something wrong with your lungs or heart? Do you need medical attention?
Read on to discover the top causes for back pain when breathing, what you can do about it, and when to see a doctor.
Good posture doesn’t just give you confidence. It can also improve your overall health.
Here are some tips for how to improve your posture.
At some point, we’ve all been told to “stand up straight!”—whether by a parent, teacher, or some other authority figure. And as you’ve gotten older, you may have come to see the wisdom of this advice.
Having poor posture can pull joints out of alignment, stretch soft tissues, and even crowd your organs. Over time, this can lead to chronic pain and soreness.
Fortunately, it’s never too late to learn how to improve your posture! In this article, we’ll talk about what good posture looks like as well as some ways that you can work on holding your body with more confidence and less pain.
Holistic medicine is a term that most people have heard of but probably don’t have a great understanding of exactly what it is. Is it like conventional medical treatment? Are there different types of holistic medicine?
So what is holistic medicine?
Many people think of holistic medicine as a type ofpseudo-medicine. Maybe even a rejection of modern medicine.
Holistic care is neither of those things.
At its core, holistic medicine is about treating all aspects of the individual, not just the physical health or parts that are hurting or injured. Those who practice holistic care believe that if you treat the whole person and focus on healing all aspects of an individual—their body, mind, and soul—can you truly be happy and healthy.
How does a holistic approach work in the practice of chiropractic care? Let’s take a look.
Strong joints have a huge impact on your overall health.
Here’s how to strengthen your joints to prevent injury and improve movement.
From creaking and popping to stiffness and pain, joint complaints are an expected part of getting older. But just because these symptoms are common doesn’t mean they are natural.
When we feel pain and discomfort, we typically take it as a sign to rest the affected area. While this may relieve pain temporarily, it’s actually doing more harm in the long run.
If you want to retain the use of your joints, regular use is the key. (As the saying goes, “use it or lose it!”) In this article, we’ll talk about how to strengthen your joints so you can experience painless, fluid movement as long as possible.
Why does my back hurt when I breathe and (more importantly) what can I do about it?
You’re getting ready to relax after a long day when *yawn* OUCH!!!! Your deep breath caused a sharp pain in your back. You take another deep breath and sure enough, you still have pain when breathing.
Someone who experiences pain in their back when breathing may feel worried, but sometimes it’s nothing more than a short-lived twinge. Unfortunately there are instances when it’s a nagging pain that won’t go away. Could it be something serious? Is something wrong with your lungs or heart? Is it one of many underlying medical conditions? Do you need medical attention?
Read on to discover the top causes for back pain when breathing, what you can do about it, and when to see a doctor.
Why Is Back Pain a Big Deal?
We know what you’re thinking: “Why do I need to spend money or seek advice for back pain? Isn’t it a common symptom? Doesn’t everyone have back pain?Can’t I just pop a Motrin and call it a day?”
We operate under many mottos, but one we swear by is “pain is never normal.”
No matter how mild your pain may be, there is always a reason for it. Pain is a signal from your body that something isn’t operating the way it should be.When to worry about back pain can be confusing, but feeling back pain when breathing is certainly something that should prompt you to seek medical treatment before the pain can diminish your quality of life.
Trust us, you never want to be the person that has to say, “I wish I had seen someone sooner.” If the pain is due to an underlying condition that needs treatment (such as those listed below), waiting to seek treatment could possibly injure yourself further. The quicker you are diagnosed, the quicker we can come up with a treatment plan to alleviate your pain.
Disclaimer: Always consult with your doctor if your pain is acute, worsens, or doesn’t go away.
What Causes Back Pain When Breathing?
Naturally, your first step when you feel a sharp twinge in your back is to wonder what’s going on back there. There are a number of conditions that can cause back pain when breathing and each of them requires a different form of treatment.
1. Muscle Strain
Breathing uses a lot ofdifferent muscles, even under normal circumstances. If one of those muscles is injured from aslip & fall,car accident, or other form of trauma, it can cause discomfort to the injured area and possibly chronic back pain. You can even get muscle strain from overworking your body.
Muscle strain is one of the more common causes of back pain when breathing and moving and luckily, it’s a simple thing to fix. Typical remedies for muscle strain include stretching, heat packs, cold packs, and over-the-counter medication. This type of strain should begin to feel better in a few days and be fully healed in a few weeks.
However, long-term use of painkillers can lead to some nasty side effects. If a week or two goes by and you aren’t feeling any better, this would be a time to contact a professional for additional information.
2. Scoliosis
Scoliosis is an abnormal curving of the spine. It is typically diagnosed during childhood or adolescence but can also developlater in life.
In more severe cases, this curvature may be so pronounced as to constrict your lungs and the other organs in your chest. Without room to expand, each breath may become quite uncomfortable and you may have difficulty breathing.
If you’ve had a cold, a bad flu, orCOVID-19, all of that coughing can end up causing back pain when breathing. This is especially true if your illness led to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection that can cause months of coughing.
Inflammation of the lining of the lung (a condition known as pleurisy) or the cartilage in the rib cage (known as costochondritis) can both cause a sharp pain in the chest that may radiate to the back whenever you take a deep breath.
If your back pain when breathing occurs after a respiratory illness, make a visit to your general practitioner. But if you haven’t been sick recently,the inflammation may be due to trauma from a recent injury. In this case, a licensed chiropractor can provide a diagnosis using an x-ray and will have a variety of treatment options for any underlying conditions.
4. Obesity
When a person carriesexcess weight, it puts a strain on their muscles, bones, and ligaments, causing them to work harder over time. If those muscles are already weakened, this places a huge toll on the body. It’s not uncommon to experience back pain when breathing as a result.
The best course of action for obesity-related conditions is, of course, to lose weight. But this is easier said than done. Fortunately, chiropractic care can help.
When back pain and other discomforts make exercise difficult,regular chiropractic adjustments can restore your body’s range of motion and alleviate some of your pain. When your body is better equipped to move the way it’s supposed to, losing weight is no longer an uphill battle.
5. Heart Attack
While heart attack is not the main cause for back pain when breathing, it’s incredibly important to be aware of the symptoms and it is considered a medical emergency.
For men, themain symptom of a heart attack is chest discomfort, but for women, the symptoms can bequite different. Nausea/vomiting, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and—yes—back pain are much more common in women.
If you are at risk of a heart attack or cardiac arrest, familiarize yourself with the most common symptoms (for men and women) so that you can identify a heart attack when it occurs.
6. Lung Problems
Again, while not a common cause for back pain when breathing, issues such aslung cancer andpulmonary embolism (i.e. a blood clot in the lung) can cause pain while breathing. These conditions can be hard to detect, so make sure you aren’t ignoring any signs from your body that something is wrong.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help
Once you have ruled out a heart attack or pulmonary issues, most people turn toward prescription medications or even surgery for relief from persistent or chronic back pain when breathing. However, this merely treats the symptom of an underlying condition.
For pain caused by scoliosis, muscle strain, or other soft tissue injuries, a combination ofchiropractic adjustments andmassage therapy can help. If you’ve recently suffered a trauma, like a car accident, it’s imperative that you seek treatment within 14 days to ensure it will be covered by your PIP policy and you don’t have any lingering issues.
But no matter what is causing your pain while breathing, we at Oviedo Chiropractic can help. Chiropractic care does not rely on drugs or surgery, so it can be used in conjunction with your other treatment plans without you having to worry about side effects.
Back Pain While Breathing Is Not Always Serious
…but it does need to be addressed. Not all back pain while breathing is the same. Luckily, not every twinge is a cause for serious concern. Treatment options are plentiful and range from chiropractic adjustment, massages, over the counter medications,physical therapy, natural remedies, and consults with doctors.
At Oviedo Chiropractic, we’re here to make every day just a little bit easier and more comfortable. From adjustments to massage therapy to giving you exercise andstretching tips, everything we do is to help you. Make anappointment with us today so we can discuss your options for a better and pain-free future!
Not only is it possible to see a chiropractor for vertigo, but it may be the most effective way to relieve your symptoms.
At some point or another, you’ve probably felt the strange sensation of vertigo. The room feels like it’s spinning and tilting, and you struggle to maintain your balance.
If so, you’ve likely had one all-consuming question: “How do I make it stop?”
While vertigo can be a debilitating condition, the good news is that there is often an easy solution. Let’s take a closer look at the times when seeing a chiropractor for vertigo can help relieve your symptoms without resorting to drugs.
Here are some things to avoid with degenerative disc disease.
As we get older, it’s very common for our bodies to start showing their age. However, for those living with degenerative disc disease, this process generally happens earlier—and causes more pain.
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with disc degeneration, you’re probably wondering what to expect. In this guide, we’ll talk about some things to avoid with degenerative disc disease as well as steps you can take to slow the progression of this condition.
Skeptical about the benefits of chiropractic care?
Let’s answer the question, “How does a chiropractic adjustment work?”…with science.
Maybe a friend, family member, or neighbor swears by chiropractic care, but you’re skeptical that “cracking your back” can do anything for you. Maybe you know firsthand the relief that a chiropractor can provide.
Maybe you’re just curious: how do chiropractic adjustments work?
Things have changed in recent years and a lot of people are working remotely. Don’t let your back pay the price.
Here’s how to set up an ergonomic workspace anywhere that will help—not hurt—your body.
The last few years have brought a lot of changes into our lives and included in those changes is that more people are working remotely. And while there are many pros you can find like working in pajamas and saving on gas, there are some cons you should be aware of too. One major one is that home offices are not always ergonomic.
Read on for more information about how to make the perfect ergonomic workspace so you can sit comfortably and continue on in those jammies!
It could be slipping rib syndrome. Here’s how to treat it.
If you’re like most people, you rarely think about your rib cage…until it starts to hurt. It’s only then that you realize how much the ribs are involved in your daily movements.
Though rare, slipping rib syndrome can have a tremendous impact on your daily life, even keeping you from doing the most basic tasks.
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into this rarely understood condition so you can find ways to get diagnosis, treatment, and the relief that you deserve.
Here’s the reason behind shoulder pain when sleeping (and what you can do about it).
You want to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to greet your day but instead, you wake up feeling groggy and uncomfortable. That pain in your shoulder kept you awake again and to make matters worse, it doesn’t seem like it will improve at all today.
Experiencing shoulder pain after sleeping is a common complaint, but that doesn’t mean that it’s normal—even as you age.
Let’s get to the bottom of shoulder pain when sleeping, including how you can get rid of it and go back to living pain-free.
For some, chiropractic offers relief from pain. For others, it's about feeling and looking good. Call today and see what chiropractic can do for you!
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