4 Best Exercises for Mid Back Pain

Anyone, regardless of lifestyle, can get mid-back pain. Students, desk workers, tradies, stay-at-home mothers, and the elderly are among those most affected. 

Middle back discomfort can occur for a variety of reasons. The following are some of the most typical reasons for mid-back pain:
- Sitting for an extended period and/or wrongly;
- Constantly looking down at the screen;
- Poor posture (standing and sitting) when sleeping on your stomach;
- Osteoarthritis;
- Poor ergonomics at work (tradespeople, athletes, etc.);
- Poorly fitting backpacks (especially for children and students);
- Scoliosis.

Now that we know what can be causing your mid back pain, here are some common symptoms you might experience: 
- Aches and pains that occur while sitting, standing, or working; 
- Shoulders that are tight and rounded;
- Inadequate posture; 
- Sharp discomfort in the muscles between the shoulder blades; 
- Back pain in the middle of the back.

Severe signs of mid-back pain that require immediate medical attention include:
- Breathing problems;
- Tightness in the chest;
- Sharp pain when breathing;
- Pain radiating to the front of the chest wall (burning, shooting, tingling, numbness);
- Rash on the chest wall or in the middle of the back ;
- Severe pain that appears out of nowhere ;
- Weakness in arms, legs, or torso.

As a general guideline, you should have your mid back discomfort checked as soon as possible for a variety of reasons. First, managing someone in acute pain (short-term pain) is often easier and faster than managing someone in chronic pain (long-term pain). Second, by addressing difficulties sooner, you can return to doing everything you love better than ever without suffering. 

Here are a few useful things to try and implement into your everyday routine to prevent mid-back pain: 
- Maintain proper posture;
- Stretch on a daily basis to help strengthen your core and surrounding muscle groups;
- Set up a suitable, ergonomic workplace or school environment.

Here are five of the best exercises for mid-back pain.

1. Pole for Posture
This may be one of the simplest and most calming exercises available. The posture pole is designed to open the anterior chest wall, stretch upper back posture muscles like the pec major and minor, and promote good posture and long-term stability.

Follow these steps: 
- Place the posture pole on a level, solid surface;
- Lay on the pole with your head on one end and your buttocks on the other, as seen in the figure above;
- Raise your knees and place your feet flat on the floor;
 - Aim to place your lower back flat on the pole and spread your arms out beside you, palms facing up.

You can stay in this position from 3 minutes to 15 minutes.

2. Cat-Cow Yoga Position
This exercise is beneficial not just for mid-back pain but also for relaxing the body after a long day at work or for waking up your muscles, joints, and neurological system first thing in the morning. 

The cat-cow exercise will help you improve your thoracic and mid-back mobility, reduce stress, increase stability, and reduce tension in your vertebral joints.

Follow these steps:
- Kneel on all fours on the ground;
- You should arch your back and take a deep breath in, as seen in the images above. 2 seconds of holding;
- Slowly exhale and hold for another 2 seconds with your back arched downwards.

Repeat this cycle ten times, twice a day.

3. Brugger's Position
This is a simple practice you can do throughout the day to improve your work routine.

This exercise should be done every hour or so to reduce stress, moderate breathing, relax hypertonic (tight) muscles in the torso and shoulders and improve excellent posture while working at a computer. 

Follow these steps:
- Sitting on the edge of your chair, you should stand tall, extend your chest forward, roll your shoulders up and back, and face your hands outwards;
- Take five slow, deep breaths while in this position.

4. Cobra Stretch
This exercise will benefit you in various ways, including improving the strength of your postural muscles, stretching the chest, shoulders, and belly, reducing stress, improving breathing, and reducing tension in the mid and lower back. 

Hold for 30 seconds to a minute on your forearms while taking long, deep breaths in and out.