upper back pain

[Prunella]

I used to row a piston rower which seems to have worked different muscles. Now with the C2 I have a lot of pain between the shoulder blades. It seems to be the deeper muscles, I think their called rhomboids? Now if I plug something into a wall outlet the pushing motion hurts. I used to row 40 minutes to an hour 5 days a week. Now I do 15 or 20 minutes. I've searched the forum but most seem to discuss lower back pain. I've worked hard on technique and I think I'm doing pretty well in that regard. I wonder if I should be strength training those particular muscles to get past this. Push ups? Pull ups? What do you folks think? I lie on a couple of tennis balls for relief.

[slwiser]

One suggestion is to be a set of bands put them around you back and do this for about three sets of 20 or so pushes to balance out the rowing motion of pulling. I had this last year and now do this and this seems to help keep the nerves from being pinched so much.

[Prunella]

Thanks for that, slwiser. I have bands and have begun using them. Good idea.

[slwiser]

One suggestion is to get a set of bands, put them around your back and do about three sets of 20 or so pushes to balance out the rowing motion of pulling. I had this last year and now use them and this seems to help keep the nerves from being pinched so much.

Another thing that I use is an electrical device call a TENS unit that applies a small current just over the area where I have developed a trigger point of pain in a muscle. This essentially provides a micro-massage to the muscle area for the 30 to 60 minutes that I use them. The TENS units (uses 9 volt battery) are fairly affordable and are the same as some therapist use. I found mine on Amazon.

[Prunella]

An update for those with a similar problem in the future: I've been doing the rubber band exercises and pushups to balance the pulling muscles with pushing and the problem is under control. No more discomfort.

[slwiser]

Excellent

[Bob S.]

An update for those with a similar problem in the future: I've been doing the rubber band exercises and pushups to balance the pulling muscles with pushing and the problem is under control. No more discomfort.

Mike Caviston recently made a very strong point on this forum about that issue. An issue that is much too often ignored.

by Mike Caviston » December 10th, 2011, 5:40 pm

I strongly encourage athletes to take a look at the demands of their sport and assess which muscle are most used in performing sport-specific movements – and then for God’s sake stop overdeveloping the muscles already being worked hard, and spend more time developing the underutilized muscles that aren’t proportionately conditioned during conventional practice. Rowers worried about rib injuries should spend time doing properly-executed chest press exercises that strengthen the serratus anterior. Sweep rowers who only row one side should work on maintaining rotational symmetry. OTOH, when I’m working with NSW candidates doing excessive numbers of push-ups and trying to increase their bench press, I have to urge them to do some row pulls for the upper back and Ys & Ts for the traps to balance their anterior and posterior muscles.

Bob S.

[carlb]

This article suggests hanging leg lifts after rowing to exercise the unused muscles http://www.biorow.com/RBN_en_2001_files ... News09.pdf

By "front intervertebral muscles" I think they mean the Iliopsoas, the Hip Flexors http://exrx.net/Lists/ExList/HipsWt.html#anchor1938598

One other thing BioRow article promotes is the hanging also stretches the spine that has been compressed sitting and rowing. That spine stretch does feel good to me. I'll do some Dips after rowing to get a spine stretch and work the pecs. I'll also do some situps with my feet strapped in the rower, which is like a Roman Chair situp and targets the Iliopsoas per ExRx http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/HipFlex ... Situp.html