How to Relieve Upper Back Pain and Numbness in the Arms and Hands Postpartum
One of the most common complaints I hear from new moms in pain in between the shoulder blades, neck and shoulders and sometimes tingling or numb hands.
While it can sometimes mean other things, the first thing I check is to see if there are knots or areas of tension in the chest muscles and neck muscles. Most often I find knots and tight muscles in the chest (known as the pec muscles to massage therapists).
Releasing these muscles can help a lot in reducing pain in the shoulders or upper arm as well as tingling or numbness sensations in the hands. These knots and tight muscles are compressing on the nerves that lead to the hands.
So how do these muscles get this way?
- Hours of infant feeding. Whether you are breastfeeding, chestfeeding or bottle feeding- you are holding a baby in a cradle position most of the time and hunched over looking at them.
- Rocking, soothing and holding baby to sleep or while they sleep. That fourth trimester we spend a lot of time holding babies and that is exactly what they need and what we are supposed to be doing. They need to be close to their parents. But the posture that comes with it can wreak havoc on our bodies.
- Co-sleeping. Some parents choose to sleep with their babies in their beds and the position often assumed by the parent is on their side laying on one of their arms or having it straight out.
The thing all of these postures have in common are that they tense up the pec muscles or shorten them leading to tension and knots, (Or you might hear me say trigger points) as well as weakened upper back muscles. Again leading to more knots which can cause pain!
So I work to release all of these muscles reducing your symptoms!
Now there’s nothing we can do to stop this cycle of bad posture during the early days of parenting with a newborn. Sure you can wear a carrier some of the time to relieve your arms but ultimately the best thing to do is to strengthen your upper back muscles and counter the bad posture with some daily stretching that only takes a few minutes of your time.
Here are some great stretches that are my go-to recommendations for new parents:
(And yes these pictures are taken in true mom style complete with kids and messy house!)
- “Doorway stretch”. This one stretches the chest/pec muscles. All you need is a doorway or wall that you can grab onto. Make a 90 degree angle with your body and arm and your elbow. Rest your forearm on the wall and lunge or lean forward until you feel a stretch in your chest muscles. Hold for at least 30 seconds to lengthen the muscles.
Stretch for shoulder and upper back pain postpartum
2. Modified Downward Dog. This is what I call it. It is great to open up the ribs and if you’re like me you might even feel or hear a little crunching as things adjust back into place. It feels amazing in through the shoulder and you can feel a little sensation into the rear deltoids (back of the shoulders) if you’re tight there.
3. Supermans. This is a strength based pose that I picked up in yoga class. I often recommend yoga poses for clients in their home care because yoga is really great for strengthening those postural muscles that weaken out in daily life and cause pain. This one focuses on countering slouchy postures and strengthens the back muscles and upper back.
Start by laying face down and arms out at a T shape. Squeeze your shoulder blades together to activate the rhomboids and lift your arms and chest up to activate your erector muscles (the muscles that run parallel to your spine). Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times daily.
