Upper back pain on one side

BrainCellSup · September 2014

I've been having upper back pain on my left side, towards the middle of my back, just to the side of my ribs, that worsens during the day and is pretty unbearable by the end. I think it has to do with sitting all day. I have a maternity belt I got on Amazon, but I don't think it's the right type of support since it's placed on the lower back and my pain is localized much higher. I get some relief from pressing my upper back against the lumbar support pad I have on my desk chair, but otherwise I can't seem to escape the discomfort. I'm sure lying on my back might help, but I'm in a cubicle at work so it's just not feasible.

I'm going to call my OB about this, and I have a massage scheduled for Saturday, but if anyone has any tips that have helped them, I'd be so grateful to hear them!

[Deleted User] · September 2014

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birdytn · September 2014

I have the same thing. Mine is due to a rib being pushed out of place (in the front) which affects the ribs in the back. It causes the nerves to become inflamed and nerve pain is different from other pain. Mine is an intense burning sensation. Nothing really helps, except for laying down. Standing is better than sitting though. Sitting seems to push the baby up into my ribs which makes it worse. I am very short waisted and have dealt with this all three pregnancies.

That being said, make sure and talk to your doctor--they may be able to offer suggestions.

erien · September 2014

Sounds like typical "pregnancy discomfort". I'd try a chrio. Couldn't hurt to make sure everything is aligned correctly.

goatlady12 · September 2014

I'm a huge fan of acupuncture. The relief lasts longer for me than the chiro does.

ebilbao · September 2014

Acu, chiro and massage.

leoandethansmom · September 2014

I had this problem with DS. My OB told me it was from the added weight being carried in the front and I was tending to slouch a lot more. I found the best relief for me was a bath and then heating pad on low followed by a massage from DH.

BrainCellSup · September 2014

shinycat said:

Yoga really can help a lot. Especially for us chair sitters! Hope you feel better.

I'm guessing it's not entirely unrelated that this has cropped up after 2 weeks of missing my regular yoga class.

birdytn said:

I have the same thing. Mine is due to a rib being pushed out of place (in the front) which affects the ribs in the back. It causes the nerves to become inflamed and nerve pain is different from other pain. Mine is an intense burning sensation.

Mine is like this, the burn! And it is definitely exacerbated by sitting. Maybe I'm short-waisted as well--I think my yoga teacher mentioned that to me once but it was pre-pregnancy and I didn't think much of it.

Thanks to all for the suggestions of seeing a chiropractor and for acupuncture--these are two methods I haven't tried and will definitely look into. I've actually never been to a chiropractor or an acupuncturist, so I'm intrigued!

twolittledogs said:

Are you sure it's back pain and not heartburn?

Edited to add: This hadn't crossed my mind--I've been having pretty bad heartburn and didn't think about how it could be related. I'll bring it up with my doc--I was prescribed protonix and took it for a few weeks but I worried about the effect on the baby so stopped taking it (the heartburn wasn't as bad, so it seemed a reasonable adjustment).

Also, unrelated to the post, I love all of your Halloween free-for-all pictures! I need to come up with one myself.

BrainCellSup · October 2014

SLC1102 said:

Any chance you can sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair (or at least for part of the day)? I've heard that can help.

I think I could do this. For a while I was sitting on an inflatable disk to keep my muscles active, maybe I'll try going back to that. Thanks for the suggestion!

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