The latissimus dorsi or lats are the large flat muscles on each side covering the width of the middle and lower back. They connect the bone of the upper arm to the spine and the hip. When pain presents in these muscles, it is typically caused by:
Repetitive overuse in a job or doing a task/chore that requires constant
Bending
Pulling
Pushing
Reaching
Twisting
Kneeling
A result of poor technique in sports or similar physical activities.
Chiropractic treatment, along with exercises, can help prevent and relieve this pain.
Symptoms of lat pain
The objective is to diagnose whether the pain is located in the latissimus dorsi or other muscles in the shoulders or back. If the latissimus dorsi is injured, an individual might feel pain in several areas, these include:
Lower, middle, and upper back
Back of the shoulders
The base of the shoulder blade
Lower arms
Inside of the arms, extending down to the fingers
In certain cases, the pain will present without warning and can be felt in the surrounding muscles. This type of pain often gets worse when the individual:
Extends their hands forward and out in front
Raises their hands above their head
Tosses or throws an object
Damage or injury to the latissimus dorsi
Tissue damage or injury can cause other symptoms to present. These include:
If the source of the back pain cannot be identified, or if it is accompanied by:
Fever
Breathing problems
Abdominal pain
Consult a doctor as these could be symptoms of a more serious condition.
Uses and Causes
The lat muscles are used in everyday activities. These include:
Picking up objects like grocery bags
Opening heavy doors
Chest expansion for breathing
Pushing against the armrests of a chair to stand up
Using handrails to climb stairs
For sports or working out, the lats are used in:
Weightlifting exercises using the upper body
Bench-presses
Rowing
Swimming
Throwing
Common causes of pain include:
Overusing the muscles
Using poor techniques
Exercising without warming up
Risk of injury
Individuals that are at risk of developing this injury include those that:
Are continually reaching overhead
Regularly chop wood
Perform regular shoveling
Move furniture or other heavy objects
Regularly practice poor posture
Tearing the latissimus dorsi is possible, especially for athletes. Some athletes with increased risk include:
Golfers
Baseball pitchers
Gymnasts
Swimmers
Tennis players
Exercises that can help bring relief
Certain exercises can alleviate the aches, pain, and strengthen the lat muscles to prevent and/or worsen the injury. It is recommended to consult a doctor, sports chiropractor, or personal trainer before beginning a therapeutic exercise regimen. This is to ensure that the exercises are right for the individual and their condition and that they use the correct form. Here are two exercises that can help reduce the pain. The doctor, chiropractor, or trainer will recommend the frequency the individual should perform the exercises.
Back bow
This pose is known as the superman pose. To perform:
Lay facedown on the floor
Extend the legs so they are straight
Stretch arms away from the body, so they are in front of the head
Bend the knees like for a sit-up with the heels close to the buttocks
Keeping the hands and feet in place
Lift the pelvis upward
Slowly lower back to the floor
Prevention
Individuals can prevent lat pain with lifestyle adjustments. These include:
Using proper technique and posture during work, sports, and exercise
Staying aware to not overuse the muscles
Staying hydrated
Warming up and cooling down thoroughly before and after a workout, sports, physical activities
Regular stretching
Applying ice and heat before and after work, sports, and physical activities
Chiropractic care
Physical therapy massage
Body Composition
Nutrition and Recovery Advantage
Two important steps to achieve optimal health include:
Nutrition
Having a proper protein intake is important for muscle adaptability or the way muscles adapt to stress during exercise and/or strength training. This is also important to stimulate muscle protein synthesisafter exercising and/or strength training. To ensure the body is getting the strength and hypertrophy improvement from exercise and strength training, it is recommended to eat around 25g of high-quality protein after workout sessions.
Recovery
For those doing aerobic and strength training, maximize recovery time between workout sessions. This is because strength and aerobic fitness health gains are low when the two only have a separation of 6 hours or less. Twenty-four hours between sessions is recommended especially if the priority is endurance performance.
References
Anderson, S. E., Hertel, R., Johnston, J. O., Stauffer, E., Leinweber, E., & Steinbach, L. S. (2005, November). Latissimus dorsi tendinosis and tear: imaging features of a pseudotumor of the upper limb in five patients. American Journal of Roentgenology, 185(5), 1145–1151 www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/AJR.04.1247
Donohue, Benjamin F et al. “Sports Injuries to the Latissimus Dorsi and Teres Major.” The American journal of sports medicine vol. 45,10 (2017): 2428-2435. doi:10.1177/0363546516676062http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0363546516676062?journalCode=ajsb
Henseler, J. F., Nagels, J., Nelissen, R. G. H. H., & de Groot, J. H. (2014, April). Does the latissimus dorsi tendon transfer for massive rotator cuff tears remain active postoperatively and restore active external rotation? Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 23(4), 553–560 www.jshoulderelbow.org/article/S1058-2746(13)00399-6/fulltext%20
George, Michael S, and Michael Khazzam. “Latissimus Dorsi Tendon Rupture.” The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons vol. 27,4 (2019): 113-118. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-17-00581
Lehman, Gregory J et al. “Variations in muscle activation levels during traditional latissimus dorsi weight training exercises: An experimental study.” Dynamic medicine: DM vol. 3,1 4. 30 Jun. 2004, doi:10.1186/1476-5918-3-4
Individuals with chronic pain, whether back, neck, arm, hips, etc, want to avoid surgery or drug treatments. This is where a chiropractic physician comes in with natural/alternative medicinecombined with conventional approaches to pain management. New pain assessment and management standards now require hospitals to provide or inform and educate individuals on pain treatment options that are not drug-based. These include:
�Provide Safer, More Effective Care for patients with chronic pain� and that �non-opioid therapy is preferred for chronic pain outside of active cancer, palliative, and end-of-life care.� CDC
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A widely recognized and highly effective form of pain management is chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic physicians are trained and equipped with a wide range of diagnostic tools and treatment/rehabilitation options to bring relief from pain without surgery or drugs.
A chiropractic physician is trained or incorporates acupuncture and physical and massage therapy into their pain management plans. The ability to provide this type of range of care is why many individuals keep a regular chiropractic regimen to keep them loose, limber, and in top form.
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Myths
Individuals that have pain believe they have to live with it and that it�s just part of the wear and tear on the body. It is true that the body wears down, however continual pain does not have to be part of the cycle. Chiropractic adjustments keep the body balanced and in proper alignment bringing relief and providing pain prevention.
Then there are those that believe the answer is muscle relaxers or pain meds, not realizing that chiropractic can offer relief.
The most common myth is that chiropractic physicians only treat back pain. Chiropractic doctors treat a wide variety of acute and chronic pain syndromes including:
Headaches
Sports injuries
Auto Accident injuries
Personal injuries
Work injuries
Athletic performance enhancement
Neuropathy
Fibromyalgia
Stress
Fertility
Pregnancy
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Chiropractic Pain Management
The principal focus for a chiropractic physician is the musculoskeletal and nervous systems and their impact on the health of an individual. They often work collaborate with the individual’s primary or emergency health care providers in diagnosis, treatment, and management for their health condition/s. They take into account various factors that are affecting their patients� health, which include:
Treatment options vary depending on every individual�s specific needs and personal situation. A treatment plan could consist of a chiropractor recommending therapeutic massage, stretches, and exercises as part of a daily regimen combined with manual adjustments to:
Reduce pain
Prevent musculoskeletal deterioration
Improve strength
Increased range of motion
Another treatment plan could include soft tissue massage therapy to augment/enhance muscle and ligament function. The primary aim of chiropractic medicine is to identify the source of the pain and return the body to its proper alignment and function. These adjustments to gain proper alignment allow the body to heal itself without medication or surgery.
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The Benefits
Chiropractic therapy as a no-meds approach to pain management has gained support. The misconceptions and myths are being debunked as individuals and science are seeing the effectiveness of chiropractic for many pain-related conditions. Many job insurance plans cover chiropractic. Medicare and Medicaid include chiropractic services and are offered at military facilities/clinics.
The benefits of chiropractic include:
The risk of pain meds dependence is significantly reduced
The causes of pain and treating them naturally is the goal
Reduces inflammation
Improves athletic performance
Natural rehabilitation for auto, personal, sports and work injuries
Health coaching
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Treating Severe & Complex Sciatica Syndromes
Dr. Alex Jimenez�s Blog Post Disclaimer
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, and sensitive health issues and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support directly or indirectly our clinical scope of practice.*
Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation as to how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900. The provider(s) Licensed in Texas& New Mexico*
To get the best treatment for upper or mid-back back pain, you should understand what may be causing it.
A doctor or chiropractor can help you figure out what is contributing to your back pain, then determine the root cause, and set up a treatment outline. Here are some of the more common causes.
Improper posture
Poor posture is one of the leading causes of upper back pain because so many people spend their workdays sitting at some station for most if not the entire day. Sitting with a:
Rounded back
Shoulders hunched forward
Just these two positional behaviors can put massive stress on the back muscles.
Getting into bad habits and not sitting properly, and sitting for so many hours a day is a sure way to bring out some form of body pain.
Not lifting objects properly
When picking something up, you should use proper lifting body mechanics to protect the spine.
Not using proper lifting form can definitely cause injury/s.
Overloaded backpack/purse
Anyone who uses backpacks and big purses is at risk for upper back injury and consistent pain.
Over-loading backpacks and purses can be dangerous to the spine and shoulders.
Also not wearing the backpack correctly, for example just using one strap causes imbalance, which leads to soreness, and that leads to injury.
Trauma Accident
Auto accidents, slips, and falls can cause all kinds of injuries including upper back pain.
Fracturing a vertebra or a spinal bone is possible.� When this happens part of the vertebrae presses on a spinal nerve and can cause pain.
Osteoporosis
This condition affects the bones, and an individual might not know they have osteoporosis until some type of fracture like a vertebral compression fracture.
It weakens the bones, which can affect how the body supports its weight. This opens the door for fractures.
Weakened vertebrae won’t support the body’s weight correctly, so the muscles, ligaments, and tendons have to work harder.
That leads to:
Sprains
Strains
Muscle fatigue
Various injuries
Kyphosis
The spine is supposed to curve outwards in the upper back; the curve is called kyphosis or a kyphotic curve.
With problematic kyphosis, the spine begins to curve outward in an exaggerated fashion that can lead to back pain.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis causes an unusual curve or curves in the spine. It makes the spine look like the letter “S” or “C” when seen from the back.
Non-Spine Conditions
Upper back pain can develop from other medical conditions that are not related to the spine. For example:
These conditions can cause individuals to move or contort into awkward positions, and swelling of muscle tissues that radiate into the upper mid-back.
Upper Back Structure
The upper back is the more stable area of the spine compared to the neck and lower back. It does not move as much because part of its main job is to protect the organs in the chest. This works in conjunction with the ribs, that is attached to the mid-back.
Because it doesn’t move as much, joint and disc problems are not as common. But that does not mean that you can’t get a herniated disc. It’s also less common to have degenerative problems in the upper mid-back.
We want you to live a life that is fulfilled with more energy, a positive attitude, better sleep, less pain, proper body weight and educated on how to maintain this way of life. I have made a life of taking care of every one of my patients.
I assure you, I will only accept the best for you.
Lower Back Pain Specialist El Paso, TX Chiropractor
Mike Melgoza is a very active person who is always engaging in physical activity, as a result, he occasionally suffers from debilitating back pain symptoms. Mr. Melgoza was struggling to sleep properly due to his symptoms of back pain before receiving chiropractic care with Dr. Jimenez.
Back pain is one of the most common reasons people visit the doctor or miss work and it is also a leading cause of disability globally. The majority of people have back pain at least once throughout their lifetimes. Luckily, you can take steps to prevent or relieve back pain.
NCBI Resources
Pain in the upper and/or mid-back is not as common as lower back or neck pain. Movement in the upper back is limited because of the attachments to the rib cage.
Upper back pain is generally caused by soft tissue injuries, like sprains or strains, muscle tension, bad posture, or looking downward for extended periods like texting, over phone use.
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