Is my upper back pain an extension of my elbow pain settling into a different part of my body?
I’ve recently been dealing with an angry muscle or group of muscles between my left shoulder blade and spine. It feels as though there is constant tension in that area that just can’t be released. It showed up about 7 weeks ago toward the end of my yoga practice when I was standing up out of Wheel posture. And generally flares up after taking Shoulder Roll 1 and Bow postures, all of which open the front line of the body and strongly contract the upper back. It’s interesting, because about the time this started bothering me, the pain that I had been experiencing in my left elbow for a few months began to lessen.
Does the fact that I carry my 27-lb son mostly on my left side have something to do with these nuisances?
I’ve had massage work done on the area three times, and after the second massage, it seemed to move from directly over my shoulder blade to where it is now. I can’t quite pinpoint the muscle that the knot is in, I simply know it is there…being as stubborn as ever.
I’ve considered the idea of going to a chiropractor to have it checked out since maybe it’s actually something going on with my pelvic or spinal alignment, but I’ve not ever gone that route and am not sure if I’m ready to. Generally my muscle soreness or pains have gone away on their own over time or with medical intervention if needed. However, this is taking a little different toll on my body—each time I inhale deeply, yawn or sometimes laugh, it causes discomfort and almost takes my breath away. Usually by the afternoon the tension begins to subside and the irritation isn’t as great, so I tend to put it to the back of my mind.
Could I be internalizing anger toward or anxiety about something, someone or myself?
Part of me thinks that whatever has manifested itself in my muscles is simply a reflection of something that is going on in my mind. I’ve read that upper back pain represents anger—but, consciously I don’t think that I’m angry at anything or anyone.
I’ve also heard that back pain could be fear or anxiety about something going on in your life. Could be—even though I don’t always feel extremely busy with my new business venture/change in professional career, there is still a lot going on in my mind that causes stress and undue tension in my body.
Am I overthinking this?
It’s funny how there are times when the aches and pains that we experience in our bodies tend to go in waves. You could go for months feeling great and not experiencing any pushback from living your life in your body & mind, and then one day something happens and causes a setback, not necessarily an injury, but a discomfort. That discomfort could stick around for weeks or maybe even months, causing you to begin to over-analyze everything you’re doing that may have led to this point. And that probably only adds fuel to the fire, allowing the aggravation to hang around.
I believe that if we can accept what is going on in our bodies without praise or blame, and simply acknowledge it, maybe even send positive energy and love to that particular area, that the body {& mind} will respond progressively and heal or let go of the unnecessary tension. It’s one thing to say this, and quite another to adopt it fully.