Upper back pain treatment in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

The knot between the shoulder blades is the most common upper back complaint we hear in Charlotte Amalie, and it almost always comes from long hours in one position: a laptop on the galley table, a customs desk, a tour van seat, a cruise ship crew cabin.

Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness treats pain in the thoracic spine (the twelve vertebrae between the neck and the low back) and the rib joints that attach to it. We also check whether the neck is sending pain into the upper back, and we screen carefully for the few upper back pains that are not spine problems at all.

What this feels like

• A burning or aching knot between or just inside the shoulder blades, worse after an hour at a desk, better when you get up and move.
• A sharp catch with a deep breath, a sneeze, or a twist. Usually a rib joint that has stopped moving. It can feel frightening, but it is mechanical, and it is one of the more satisfying things we treat.
• Stiffness across the top of the back and a feeling that you cannot stand up straight, common after a flight or a long drive over the Skyline Drive hills.
• Pain that runs from the neck down into the upper back, with headaches or arm tingling. That often starts in the neck.

What is usually going on

The thoracic spine is built for stability more than motion, and when you sit in one shape for hours the small joints between the vertebrae and the joints where the ribs meet the spine stiffen. The muscles between the shoulder blades (rhomboids and lower trapezius) stay stretched long and tired while the chest tightens. That is the desk posture pattern, and the knot is the muscle complaining about the joint under it.

A rib that is not moving produces the breathing pain. Each rib hinges on the spine at two small joints. When one jams, the rib cannot rise with the breath, and the muscles and nerve along it protest.

The lower neck refers pain into the upper back regularly, so a neck exam is part of every upper back visit. Read more on our neck pain page. A curve in the upper back can load one side more than the other; see our scoliosis page.

How we treat it at Tradewinds

The first visit is an exam and, when it is warranted, a digital x-ray and posture analysis so we can see the alignment instead of guessing at it. Dr. Keys is the Chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a member of the Virgin Islands Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractors Association representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Care for upper back pain usually includes:

• Thoracic and rib adjustment. Specific adjustment of the stiff segments and the rib joints so they move again. For the breathing-pain rib this is often the visit where things change.
• Soft tissue work. Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization on the muscles between the shoulder blades and the tight chest muscles in front.
• Posture and strengthening rehab. Exercises for the lower trapezius and the muscles that pull the shoulder blades back and down, plus a desk setup review. The laptop is the usual culprit. Raising the screen and adding a separate keyboard does more than any stretch.
• Digital posture analysis at the start and at re-check, so we can show you the change instead of describing it.

These services are on our services page. Most mechanical upper back pain responds within a few weeks. We set a visit count and a re-check date.

When you should see someone else

Some upper back and chest pain is not a spine problem. Call 911 if you have chest pain or pressure, especially with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, or pain spreading into the jaw or arm. That is a heart concern, and upper back pain can be part of it, particularly in women.

Get an x-ray before any adjustment if you have upper back pain after a fall, a crash, or a hard landing on deck, especially if you are over 60 or have osteoporosis. A compression fracture has to be ruled out first. We take digital x-rays in the office.

See your physician if you have:

• Pain that wakes you at night and does not change with position, unexplained weight loss, fever, or a history of cancer.
• Pain with a cough, fever, or shortness of breath, which may be the lungs.
• Numbness or weakness in the legs, or new trouble with balance.

If you already have imaging, bring it.

Visitors, crew and cruise passengers

A rib that jams on a rough ferry ride to St. John or a night in a narrow berth is often a single-visit problem. Cruise visitors from Havensight and crew out of Crown Bay and Yacht Haven Grande are welcome, and you leave with the desk or bunk fixes that keep it from coming back.

Getting seen

Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness is in the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, just east of Charlotte Amalie. Call (340) 690-4994 or email info@tradewindschiropractic.com. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments.

Hours: Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Tue, Fri: 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Closed Sat and Sun.

Tradewinds has more than 180 five-star Google reviews. Meet Dr. Keys.

Questions patients ask

I have pain between my shoulder blades. Who treats it in St. Thomas?

Tradewinds Chiropractic in Charlotte Amalie treats pain between the shoulder blades with thoracic and rib adjustment, soft tissue work, and posture and strengthening rehab. The first visit is an exam that also screens the neck, since the neck often refers pain to that spot.

Is there an upper back pain chiropractor in St. Thomas USVI?

Yes. Tradewinds Chiropractic treats upper and mid back pain from the thoracic spine and rib joints, with digital x-ray and posture analysis when needed. We see residents, boat and charter crew, and visitors, and we take walk-ins and same-day appointments.

How do I fix mid back pain from sitting at a laptop?

Raise the screen to eye level, add a separate keyboard, and get up every 30 to 45 minutes. If the pain has settled in, the stiff thoracic and rib joints usually need adjustment and the muscles between the shoulder blades need strengthening. We set up both on the first visit.

Why does my upper back hurt when I breathe in?

The usual reason is a rib joint that has stopped moving where it meets the spine, so the rib cannot rise with the breath. It is mechanical and often responds quickly to adjustment. Pain with breathing plus fever, cough, or shortness of breath needs a physician first.

When is upper back pain serious?

Call 911 for chest pain or pressure with shortness of breath, sweating, or pain spreading into the jaw or arm. Get an x-ray first after a fall if you are over 60 or have osteoporosis. See a physician for night pain that does not change with position, unexplained weight loss, or fever.