How to Fix Upper Back Pain (NO MORE KNOTS!)

Have you ever wondered how to fix upper back pain? You know, that spot on your back where it feels like you have knots for days. In this video, I am going to breakdown why you are experiencing upper back pain and 5 moves you can do to fix it for good. There is no need to live in chronic pain when there’s a solution that will have your back feeling better right away.

More often than not, when it comes to pain in the upper back, it doesn’t have to do with the muscles in the area (the rhomboids). Instead it has more to do with the joints in the area and that is namely the thoracic spine. When there is a dysfunction in the thoracic spine, you will often feel it in the surrounding muscles, but because they are not the root cause, we aren’t going to be targeting them directly. Instead, the brunt of our focus for this video will be on mobilizing the thoracic spine.

The first move that you can do to deal with your upper back pain is called the rhomboid pushup. While not actually targeting the muscles in terms of strengthening them, they are active throughout the mobilization of the thoracic spine. By allowing your chest to drop down towards the ground, you are contracting the muscles through their range of motion and as you protract to reach the top end of the pushup, you are placing them on stretch. Taking these muscles along for the ride as you move the thoracic spine will be the first step in eliminating that pain in the upper back.

Next, you are going to need to stand close to a wall and perform the wall splat. The key takeaways for this move are to keep your arms spread wider in order to alleviate any potential shoulder discomfort, driving your knee towards to the wall, and sinking your hips into the movement as you try to bring yourself closer to the wall. Doing the last two will help you to feel to move your thoracic spine deeper through the range of motion as you come closer to the wall. You will feel this almost instantly and will be good feedback on what your upper back should feel like when it has full range of motion.

The third move that you should perform in order to get rid of upper back pain is a mobilization drill that I like to call “can openers”. Simply get down on your knees and elbows, place one arm behind your head and rotate your upper back so that that arm is now pointing towards the ceiling. Hold at the top for a few seconds before returning to rest and then repeating the move again. Something to note in this move is the actively retract the shoulder blade of the arm that is bent behind the head. Repeat on the other side to make sure you avoid any imbalances.

This stretch, the 11:15 stretch (as I like to call it,) not only works great, but feels great too. One of the biggest points to make note of on this move is to not only make sure that your arms are in the right position, but to retract the shoulder blade of the arm that is in the 15 position. Just like with the can openers, while you want to reach out as far as you can in this position, you also want to actively retract that scapula. This willl help to reinforce the mobilization of the thoracic spine which is key in order to fix that upper back pain you’ve been going through.

The last move that you can perform here in this sequence is one that I’ve suggest that you should do every day in order to feel amazing. This is called the bridge and reach over. Not only does this movement help to mobilize the thoracic spine with the reach over, but it also allows for the entire kinetic chain to get involved so that you are moving multiple parts of your body in concert. From your feet all the way up to your head, you are working everything in tandem and making sure that everything mobilized. I think this is one of the best things you can do for any back pain, especially in the upper back.

For more videos on how to fix back pain as well as any other joints that might be bothering you, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel using the link below and remember to turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.

[athleanx]

*THE GIVEAWAY IS BACK* - I’m giving away my brand new complete 90 Day Beaxst PPL program to 40 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 40, but those randomly selected within the first hour the video is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached! Clicking twice does nothing. Only one entry per video. Remember to watch to the end for more workouts.

If you don’t win, no worries, you’re not going away empty handed. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next video quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…

[giuseppeantoniorosi]

I left this channel, not for any particular reason, just stopped. I started experiencing pain and starting searching YouTube for solutions. Nothing worked. Then I came across this one. Did a couple movements and my very debilitating pain melted away. I completely forgot how Stepdad Jeff is truly the GOAT. Never forget.

[HenrikMatern]

I can't thank you enough for yor "rehab" advices. Suffered from shoulder pain, lower back pain and upper back pain (all of them on my right side, hmmm). I have saved all three videos in my Youtube library and your instructions work like magic. Thank's a million.
Henrik, 70 years old, in Stockholm, Sweden. Still going to the gym.

[javitoy]

Jeff I... I can't thank you enough. I have had a chronic pain in that middle back thoracic spine area for 9 months now and each exercice has made me feel a pleasurable tingle sensation in the zone of pain. God bless you. You are amazing

[briangreen]

I have been dealing with this all my life. I even had back surgery on my lower back 15 years ago, but things became worse. I only did this once, along with the video, except the machine work, and I can feel the tension release that I've sought all along. Thank you! I will be doing this religiously henceforth. Take care and God bless. ✝️

[mkultrawoke]

Jeff has so far healed pain in my: rotator cuff, lower back, upper back, knees and hips, when nothing else on the internet and even paid PTs did. The man is really truly a genius

[rafaelsoares]

I never thought this would be something actually common. I have pain in this area very randomly. Once I woke up in the middle of the night with this area completely locked. Thanks a lot for this, really, it's life changing!

[planktonofbikinibottom]

I've been having a lot of annoying pain in this area. It's like a weird dull muscle ache. These exercises helped me finally target those muscles! Thanks Jeff!

[padraiga]

ER Nurse here. Thank you! Jeff has helped me throughout my career. Been going strong for a while and have worked through a lot of chronic issues that would’ve otherwise ended my career.

[alejandrorodriguezmelo]

Just one session of this and the burning pain sensation is almost gone. I had problems on this area for 3 years causing pain that irradiates to my entire right arm. Thanks man!

[martinbeckett]

This was incredible, been having pain for weeks, and after a couple of minutes of the can opener, went from virtually no rotation to over 45 degrees, and pain is gone! This man is a wizard!

[robertthrill]

It really works guys. I had upper back pain for more than a year I even tried spine adjustment once but it didn’t work. Its been 3 weeks that I’m trying this workout and guess what, the pain is gone. Thank you for sharing valuable contents like this ✌🏻

[edwardwagner]

I’ve had these problems for years working as a 6’3 physical therapist doing home care and causing costo-transverse joint and costo-vertebral dysfunction where manipulations instantly abate pain followed by soft tissue mobilizations and then these well thought out exercises, where I have to avoid excessive protraction. Bravo Jeff

[dezrad]

I’ve been doing a similar regiment for some time and it has helped my back pain immensely

[aaronsteward]

as someone with severe scoliosis i very much appreciate these more pt focused videos!

[adrianmasters]

I love you Jeff, I've had upper back problems in that exact area ever since seeing a chiropractor about a year ago. I'd never once had them before that and now it won't seem to go away and I'm gonna start all of these exercises today.

[jeffd]

I fell off of a landing gear door back in 2016 and landed on a large metal structure across my thoracic area. Rotated my vertebrae and have had muscle spasms since. To say my upper back has been tight since then would be an understatement. These are the first moves I've done that have actually made a difference. Thanks!

[jamesd]

BRO!!! I did this right now after work, carrying tool bags all day.. My FREAKING BACK POPPED 3 SPOTS ON THE FIRST STRETCH!! Did the rest and my back popped a few more times! Standing straight, No pain!! BIG THANKS!!

[christophermartinez]

This SERIOUSLY helped me right now. After a chiropractor visit, $50 copay, massage, and lost sleep. Nothing worked to relieve my mid back pain except this! Thank you Jeff, you came through again. Got me through other injuries, setbacks, and the pandemic. I would be in much poorer health and possibly worse if it weren’t for you! God bless you brother 🙏🏽💪🏽!

[daynevickers]

Appreciate this video! I've had lower and thoracic problems for over 25 years. I eventually learned how to take care of them through a process of elimination (along with help from a good P.T. such as yourself). My thoracic region gets 'locked', causing significant pain, and the BEST thing I've found is to literally grab my ankles, knees straight, and then arch my back as much as possible. This allows me to 'pop' my thoracic vertebrae, and when it does, it gives immediate relief. For my lower back, nothing brings relief nearly as much as using an inversion table, which I do religiously most every day (I also do upside down crunches to hit my abs/core). Both these measures work great for me, so I thought I'd throw it out there. Lovin' your content!