Upper and middle
back pain

A dull ache across the shoulders or stiffness down
the
back, usually building through the day. Open
until 7pm
weeknights and Saturday mornings.

Book an appointment

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

Upper and middle back pain is pain
through the thoracic spine and the

muscles between the shoulder blades. It
is most often caused by sustained

posture and repetitive load rather than a
single injury, which is why it
commonly
affects both desk workers and people
doing manual work.
Chiropractic care is
one of the treatments used for it.

Why this shows up at work
more
than anywhere else

Body stressing is the leading cause of
workplace injury in Australia, accounting for
50,600
serious workers compensation claims,
or 34.5 per cent of all serious claims, according
to
Safe Work Australia. The trunk is the most
commonly affected area at 34 per cent.

Most of those claims come from muscular
stress while lifting, carrying, putting down or

handling objects. The same load pattern shows
up in people who sit still for long periods,
just
built up more slowly.

What it usually feels like

The lifestyles of today’s world have seen this
become
an increasing issue. Whether you sit
behind a desk all
day or do vigorous manual
labour, you may be
increasing your postural
stress. It can be felt as a dull
ache across the
shoulders or stiffness down the back,
and is
caused by overactive postural muscles and an

imbalance in the back joints.

COMMON SIGNS

A dull ache between or across the shoulder
blades

Stiffness that builds through the day rather
than being there on waking

A need to stretch, roll the shoulders or crack
the back for relief

Tightness after long periods sitting, driving or
lifting

Discomfort taking a deep breath in some cases

Neck tightness and headaches alongside it

Two different causes,
same symptom

From Sitting Still

Long periods at a desk or behind the wheel leave the postural muscles working constantly while the mid back joints barely move. It builds slowly, is worse in the afternoon, and often eases on weekends.

From Lifting and Load

Repeated lifting, carrying or overhead work loads the same area from the opposite direction. It tends to come on faster, is worse after a heavy day, and is the pattern behind most workers compensation claims.

The treatment differs because the cause differs.
Working out
which pattern you fit is the point of
the examination.

Book an appointment

When it is worth having
looked at

Most upper back stiffness settles with
movement and a change
in load. It is worth
having examined if it has lasted more than a

few weeks, if it keeps returning, if it is coming
with headaches,
or if it is affecting your sleep
or your work.

SEE A DOCTOR PROMPTLY, NOT A
CHIROPRACTOR, IF YOU HAVE

Chest pain or pain radiating into the jaw or
arm, upper back pain with
shortness of
breath, pain following a significant fall or
accident,
unexplained weight loss
alongside the pain, or fever. These need
medical
assessment rather than
chiropractic treatment.

SEE A DOCTOR PROMPTLY, NOT A
CHIROPRACTOR, IF YOU HAVE

Chest pain or pain radiating into the jaw or
arm, upper back pain with
shortness of
breath, pain following a significant fall or
accident,
unexplained weight loss
alongside the pain, or fever. These need
medical
assessment rather than
chiropractic treatment.

How chiropractic care
is used for it

Chiropractic treatment is used to manage upper
back pain caused
by swelling or tension of the
joints and muscles. Adjustments are
used to
help reduce inflammation and improve how the
affected
areas of the upper back function.

Our treatment is tailored to the individual and
aims to increase the
strength of your postural
muscles and restore correct spinal
movement.
Where the cause is how you sit or how you lift,
we go
through what to change, because
treatment alone will not hold if
the load stays
the same.

Who treats you

Treatment is provided by Dr George Diab, founder of The Sport and Health Clinic. He holds a Bachelor of Chiropractic Science and a Masters of Chiropractic Science from Macquarie University and has been in practice for over ten years.

Book an appointment

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

What happens when you come in

We talk

You tell us what is going on, how long it has been happening, and what makes it worse. We ask about your work setup and how you sleep. An initial consultation runs 40 minutes.

We examine

A physical examination of the neck and upper back to find where movement is restricted, rather than treating the sore spot on its own.

We explain

We tell you what we think is going on and what we would do about it before we do anything. Standard consultations after that run 20 minutes.

Questions we get asked

Often it is a large part of it. Long periods in one position leave the postural muscles between the shoulder blades working hard while the mid back joints barely move. We will look at what your day actually involves, because changing the load matters as much as treating the symptom.

Postural muscles fatigue as the day goes on, so the ache tends to build rather than being there first thing. That pattern is a useful clue that the problem is load related rather than a fresh injury, and it is worth mentioning at your appointment.

Sometimes it helps, and it is usually worth doing. But if the joints underneath are not moving properly, stretching alone tends to give short lived relief and the tightness returns within a day. Restoring the joint movement is what makes the stretching hold.

Chiropractors in Australia are registered health practitioners trained to screen for the conditions where treatment is not appropriate. Part of the first appointment is checking for exactly that. If we think you need imaging, a GP or another practitioner instead, we will tell you rather than treat you.

If the injury happened at work, yes. We treat WorkCover NSW patients. Bring your claim number and your employer or insurer details to your first appointment and we will take it from there.

No. In Australia you can book directly with a chiropractor without seeing your GP first. A referral is only needed if you are claiming under certain Medicare or insurance arrangements, such as a chronic disease management plan.

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

WorkCover accepted
Over 10 years in practice
Health fund claims on the spot

Neck pain

Headache and Migraine