Most adults experience back pain at one point or another in their life. For some, it is a sports injury. For others, they overdo it working in the garden on the first warm day of spring. Still others get backaches frequently from poor habits. If you have a burning pain in your upper back muscle there are things that you can do to relieve the pain.

What To Do – And Not To Do

First of all, though your back hurts this isn’t the time to just lay stiffly in bed, waiting for the pain to pass. For the first day, that’s alright, maybe even two days, but anything beyond that will just slow your recovery. The muscles need to be working and stretching in order to heal. So, within a couple of days, get up off the bed and back to a more active lifestyle. You may still have a burning pain in an upper back muscle, but it is time to get moving.

Many people find relief (whether they are in bed or moving and working) by using heat (try a plug-in heating pad, a heat pack that can be warmed repeatedly in the microwave, therapeutic pad that can be stuck to the skin and stays warm for 4-6 hours, or a hot bath or spa) or cold (ice or a cold pack that is chilled in the freezer – maybe have two to exchange them so that one can be chilling while the other is in use). If the heat or cold helps, it is a good way to relieve the pain.

If the burning pain in an upper back muscle persists, consider medication. Acetaminophen, NSAIDS, anti-inflammatories, and some herbal analgesics can be useful, so try one or the other of them. If the pain doesn’t decrease with the use of those, see your physician. He may prescribe narcotics or steroid injections.

Another way to help with the pain now (and help you never have the pain again) is to gently stretch and strengthen the muscles of your back, legs, and stomach. Though you may still have a burning pain in an upper back muscle, the gentle stretching and strengthening exercises will help your back, and probably even feel good.

You might also want to consider visiting your chiropractor, acupuncturist, or masseuse, as these therapies have also been found helpful, to varying degrees.

If your burning pain in an upper back muscle does not go away within a few weeks, check with your primary care physician. There are other, more complicated things that your burning pain in an upper back muscle can be a symptom of. Not all back pain causes can be identified, but if your pain continues, your primary care physician will want to rule out other conditions.