Relieve Upper Back Pain from Trigger Points & Muscle Knots
Upper back pain or thoracic area pain is sometimes caused by trigger points or muscle knots. Trigger points are basically when a specific area on a muscle gets irritated and tightens up into a ball or knot.
This video contains some stretches and exercises that may help relieve trigger points or muscle knots in the upper back.
Stretching the Rhomboid muscles in the upper back is a great way to reduce the pain. These stretches can be done in long sitting or regular sitting. After stretching the rhomboid muscles, they can be strengthened with scapular squeezes (shoulder squeezes).
Next are some stretches for the upper back or thoracic area. Thoracic rotations and thoracic sidebends are a great way to help loosen up the muscles to decrease trigger points.
Finally, if the stretches are too difficult or maybe you are on precautions to not do those movements, a ball can be used to put pressure on the trigger points directly. A little pressure goes a long way, but too much could irritate it more.
My favorite exercise for upper back pain relief is a seated row. It’s a great exercise for your upper back, shoulders, and neck area. This upper back exercise is performed in real-time, so it's easy to follow along if you want.
Percussive Massage Therapy using a massage gun (aka percussion massager) for back pain relief uses fast, soft pulses over a short amount of time to get deep down into the muscle fibers.
These back pain stretches and exercises are for general back pain like soreness from overworking your back or if you've pulled a muscle. Check out the back pain section of my website for more specific back pain related exercises and stretches.
A rhomboid stretch is great for the rhomboid muscles because they tend to get overworked and tight easily. Many rhomboid stretches require someone to get in an uncomfortable position or down on the floor. This simple modified rhomboid stretch can be done sitting in a chair or on the couch.
These back pain relief stretches don’t necessarily need to be done in bed, but they are a great way to help relieve back pain in the morning before getting up, and/or when going to bed at night.
Cracking your back can help relieve back pain. But make sure the cause of your back pain is diagnosed first because with some back issues you should never crack your back.
Stretches & exercises are a great way to help relieve back pain. But with nearly 1,000 videos on the Ask Doctor Jo YouTube Channel, it can be hard to find the best one for you. So for 2025, here are some of my favorite Back Pain Relief Videos that actually work!
Finding a comfortable position to sleep at night can be challenging for some people. People who suffer from back pain and sleep on their backs might find these tips helpful to get a better night’s sleep
Upper back pain or thoracic area pain is sometimes caused by trigger points or muscle knots. Trigger points are basically when a specific area on a muscle gets irritated and tightens up into a ball or knot.
