You Need To Consider Doing This If Your Upper Back Pain Is Not Improving With Pilates

Upper back pain is an all-too-common issue that can take a significant toll on your daily life. Whether it’s caused by poor posture, muscle strain, or an underlying condition like arthritis, upper back pain can make even the simplest tasks, like sitting at a desk, driving, or lifting, incredibly uncomfortable and frustrating.

The emotional impact of upper back pain can be just as overwhelming. The constant discomfort, paired with the fear of it worsening with every movement, can leave you feeling anxious, stressed, and mentally drained. If Pilates hasn’t provided lasting relief from your upper back pain, it may be time to explore other treatments that get to the root cause of the issue and offer long-term solutions.

Pilates: A Common Approach to Treating Upper Back Pain

Pilates is a popular exercise method that emphasizes core strength, flexibility, and posture improvement. Pilates exercises can be particularly helpful for upper back pain as they help strengthen the muscles that support the spine and improve posture, which can reduce strain on the upper back and relieve discomfort.

However, while Pilates can be highly effective for some individuals in relieving upper back pain, it may not always address the underlying causes. If your upper back pain is the result of a herniated disc, muscle imbalances, or degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis, Pilates alone may not be enough to provide the lasting relief you need. For some, the pain can persist, leaving you frustrated and unsure of the next step to take.

Why Getting a Clear Diagnosis Is Crucial

Upper back pain can result from a variety of causes. Here are five common causes of upper back pain:

  1. Muscle Strain – Overuse or sudden movements can strain the muscles in the upper back, leading to pain, stiffness, and discomfort.
  2. Herniated Disc – A slipped or ruptured disc in the spine can cause pain that radiates across the upper back and into the shoulders or arms.
  3. Osteoarthritis – Degeneration of the joints in the upper back can cause stiffness, inflammation, and pain.
  4. Spinal Stenosis – Narrowing of the spinal canal can place pressure on nerves, leading to pain and discomfort in the upper back.
  5. Scoliosis – An abnormal curvature of the spine can place uneven stress on the upper back muscles, leading to pain and discomfort.

In addition to these common causes, there are two less common but potentially serious causes of upper back pain:

  1. Fractures – A broken vertebra in the upper back can lead to severe pain and limited mobility.
  2. Infections – Spinal infections can cause inflammation, pain, and systemic symptoms, requiring immediate medical attention.

The Need for Imaging to Get a Precise Diagnosis

It’s important to recognize that upper back pain cannot always be fully diagnosed based on symptoms alone. Imaging techniques such as X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans are necessary to assess the health of the spine, muscles, and surrounding tissues. These diagnostic tools provide healthcare providers with a clearer picture of what’s causing the pain and help develop a more targeted treatment plan.


The Pain Relief Clinic: Your Partner in Finding a Clear Diagnosis

At The Pain Relief Clinic, we understand how upper back pain can severely limit your ability to move and enjoy daily life. With over a decade of experience, we specialize in offering non-invasive diagnostic services to uncover the root cause of your pain. If you’ve been struggling with upper back pain and haven’t found lasting relief, we can arrange for affordable scans, typically within one working day.

Medisave can often be used to help cover the cost of these scans, making them more accessible for you.

We also assist with insurance claims, including accident insurance, travel insurance, and company insurance, ensuring that you can access the care you need without added financial strain.

Once we have a clear diagnosis, we can provide targeted treatments, solutions, and non-invasive technology to help alleviate your upper back pain and restore your mobility.

Ready to take control of your upper back pain? Send us a message today to arrange an appointment and take the first step toward lasting relief from upper back pain.

What To Expect When I Visit The Pain Relief Clinic

A typical visit will involve our doctor first understanding your medical history, concerns and previous experience with other pain treatments.

For patients who have consulted many people but have yet to receive a clear diagnosis, selecting an affordable imaging scan might be recommended to confirm the cause of your pain..

Some patients have already done scans with other doctors for their pain condition but are still not clearly told what they suffer from.

Dr Terence Tan is happy to offer you a second opinion and recommend how best to manage your condition.

We also see patients who already have a confirmed diagnosis from specialist pain doctors, but are "stuck” because treatment options offered are not practical or acceptable.

We can help by discussing options that you might have potentially never been told of.

A common experience is when a patient has already consulted a specialist doctor for pain management and is told to consider orthopaedic surgery which they find too aggressive.

Or they may have seen doctors for their pain and were prescribed painkillers with potential side effects which made them feel uncomfortable.

Many of our patients have also first tried complementary treatments or acupuncture with traditional Chinese pain doctors.

They look for a second opinion after finding any relief experienced from other treatments to be temporary or requiring repetitive treatments, which add up to time and cost.

Especially in such situations, we emphasize using non-invasive medical technology you likely have not been told about .

This can make a big difference to your results.