Question
   Lately I have been having a lot of trouble with pain and tightness in the muscles in my back...around the area of the bra strap...I am so tight in these muscles and all the way up into my neck ...they feel as though they have gone rigid,I am waking up with severe stiffness and pain.
    My breathing seems to be from high in my chest as well.Could vertebrae being out cause this?....My friend tries to massage the muscles down and when she does there is a lot of cracking that comes from the shoulders....my ribs feel as though they are pulled up around my shoulders and this makes for tightness across my chest.
      What would cause this to happen?...my friend cuddled me tonight and it made my back crck in about 4 different places  and now i ont kow if it is my shoulders or vertebrae that is the problem .....I also have trouble with my Archilles tendons...when i lay on my back,heels resting on the bed ,I wake up with weakness and pain... they feel like they will break when I stand up ...everything  just hurts so...what could be causing this?I walk for an our every night rain ,hail or shine...could this all stem from having vertebrae out?..Please if you can help me figure this.
     Bless you  

Answer
Marj,

Thanks for the question. You are certainly on the right track.  I just finished with a patient with the same complaints in the middle back. Normally it is a ribhead and thoracic vertebrae issue. The vertebrae is fixed in flexion and it is kind of stuck there. This will drive the ribheads and ribs up and back.  The result is usually pain, spasm, tightness, burning and difficulty taking a deep breath.  In my office we perform manipulation and some therapy and normally within 2-4 visits...problem solved.  I then prescribe some home exercises to strengthen the area to avoid recurrences.

As for the Achilles, there could be several things going on. With a walker or runner, my first suspicion is old shoes.  Check your shoes, while they may feel fine to you, they may be broken down. For someone who walks every day, I would recommend a new pair of walking shoes every 4 months.  If yours are more than 4 months old, get some new ones.  Make sure you stretch very well before and after walking and give yourself a week or two on the new shoes.  If they continue to bother you, let me know.  It could be something else that I can help you with.

Call and make an appointment with a chiropractor today.  Get a few treatments and the middle back should be much better. Contact me again if you have any questions about what the chiropractor tells you.  I am glad to help, and I think that you will do just fine.

God Bless,

Dr. Boss