Feeling discomfort due to a burning pain in your shoulder and back? The common latissimus dorsi pain might have caught you up. Have you heard of this issue? A sprain or injury in your latissimus dorsi muscle, which has a major role in most of your day-to-day activities might be the reason for this nagging pain. However, this common problem is often overlooked by mistaking it as other muscle and joint pains. In such a scenario, how can you identify whether it is latissimus dorsi pain? Don’t worry, this article will dive into the details of this issue, ranging from its symptoms and causes to treatment and preventive measures. Continue reading to learn more about latissimus dorsi pain.
Understanding The Lat Muscle
The latissimus dorsi muscle stretches across the lower posterior making it one of the largest muscles in the back. In Latin latissimus means broadest and dorsum means back. So, as the meaning of the name suggests latissimus dorsi is a large flat muscle that originates from the lower spine and extends to the upper arm. This muscle is popular as lats, especially among bodybuilders and sports personalities.
Lat muscles play a crucial role in several bodily movements including swimming, pulling, rowing, and throwing. This pair of muscles performs most functions by combining the tres major and pectoralis major muscles. The combined activity of these muscles results in adduction and extension. Latissimus dorsi is also involved in the trunk movements facilitating activities like climbing and raising the chin. Furthermore, it is also an active participant in deep respiration, coughing, and sneezing.
Being a major part of various bodily movements and sports activities, lat muscle pain caused by injuries and sprains is common, especially in athletes and bodybuilders. This issue that arises with multiple symptoms can be treated and cured with proper rest and medical care.
What Causes Lat Muscle Pain?
The latissimus dorsi is a major muscle involved in most everyday activities such as pushing objects, climbing stairs, and expanding the chest for breathing. It is also used during rowing, weight lifting, throwing, bench presses, and other sports or workouts. So, being a part of these many activities and movements, the lat muscle can be overused leading to lat pain. Apart from over-usage, some other causes of lat muscle pain include:
- Poor and improper techniques used in sports and workouts
- Exercise without warm-ups
- Not maintaining a good posture
- Irregular sleeping position
How Does The Lat Muscle Pain Feel Like?
Latissimus muscle pain can affect your day-to-day activities and daily life. Hard to differentiate, lat muscle pain is often mistaken as other joint and muscle pains. This confusion also makes the self-diagnosis of latissimus dorsi pain challenging. So, identifying the correct symptoms of this issue will help in effective treatment. Some of the common symptoms of lat muscle pain are as follows:
- Sharp pain in the lower, middle, or upper back
- Discomfort in the shoulders while lifting your hand forward
- Burning pain while stretching your arms overhead
- Stiffness in the back muscles
- Swelling in the muscles
- Skin discoloration
Treating Lat Muscle Pain
Multiple treatment options such as rest, physical therapies, and surgeries can be used to treat latissimus dorsi pain. The exact treatment option for a particular person can only be decided after a thorough medical analysis. The doctor may analyze the intensity of your lat muscle pain using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and prescribe the treatment option for you. The details of each treatment method are given below:
- Rest and self-care
During the initial stage, latissimus dorsi pain can be treated with proper rest by avoiding exercise and other activities that may cause muscle swelling and pain. In addition to rest, using ice packs in the affected area for 15-20 minutes would also help improve your situation.
- Physical therapy
Physical therapy helps to restore the affected muscle function due to the lat muscle pain by aiding pain relief and faster healing. It also helps to reduce the chances of complications during recovery.
- Surgery
According to reports, surgery is the least selected option for the lat muscle pain. Surgery will be opted only if the injury is severe and when no other treatment options show significant improvements.
How To Prevent Lat Muscle Pain?
Latissimus dorsi pain can be prevented to a certain extent. Taking proper care of your body and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are the major methods to prevent lat muscle pain. These methods include:
- Avoid overuse of muscles
- Follow the guidelines during sports and exercise
- Include regular warmups and cooling down before and after exercise
- Use heat pads and ice packs when necessary
- Stay hydrated and include nutritious foods in your diet
Exercises And Stretches To Alleviate Pain
Studies suggest that certain exercises will help to alleviate the pain caused by latissimus dorsi injuries and sprains. These exercises not only reduce the pain but also aid in the strengthening of the muscles. However, it is important to consult your healthcare professional or personal trainer to ensure that the exercises are appropriate and that you perform them correctly. The details and method to perform two of these exercises are given below:
- Back bow
Back bow, also known as the Superman pose will help you stretch your latissimus dorsi muscles. The steps to perform this exercise are:
- Lay facing the floor on a yoga mat.
- Straightly extend your arms and legs away from your body
- Your arms should be to the front of your head and limbs towards the ceiling.
- Pelvic lift
Pelvic lift helps to strengthen lower back, hips, lower abdominal, and glute muscles. The steps to perform this exercise are:
- Lay on the floor by straightening your back, with your arms at the sides.
- Bent your knees with feet on the floor.
- Lift your pelvis towards the ceiling and hold the position for at least 10 seconds.
Conclusion
The latissimus dorsi is one of the largest and widest muscles in the back. It begins from the lower spine and extends to the upper arm. This muscle has a crucial role in different body movements and sports activities such as swimming, throwing, pushing, rowing, and weight lifting. It is also involved in breathing, sneezing, and coughing.
The involvement of latissimus dorsi muscle in a variety of activities leads to its overuse causing injuries and pain. This issue which can also be caused by poor techniques in sports and exercises and lack of warm-ups before exercising can be identified by sharp pain in the back, discomfort in the shoulders, difficulty in lifting arms, skin discoloration, and stiffness in the muscles. Usually, latissimus dorsi pain is treated with proper rest and physical therapies.
In rare cases, doctors may prescribe surgeries, only if the condition is severe enough. However, this issue can be prevented by taking proper care of your body, following proper instructions during sports activities and exercise, and maintaining a healthy diet. Exercises like the back bow and pelvic lift can also alleviate your lat muscle pain.
FAQs
Treatment for lat pain varies according to the individual. Normally, lat pain is treated with rest, physical therapies, or nonsteroidal medicines.
A pulled lat muscle or lat strain can lead to burning pain that spreads to the mid to upper back, shoulders, and inside the arms. This pain which may also affect the surrounding muscles may make lifting your arms above your head and other functions painful.
Most symptoms of lat pain will reduce within two weeks of rest. However, you may feel pain while exercising or performing other activities, which requires professional care.
As lat pain and sleeping position are interconnected, your lat pain when you lay down can be caused by irregularity in your sleeping position. This will make your body twisted leading to extra strain.
Several exercises including lat dorsi stretch, overhead dowel abduction, and triceps and lat stretch help to stretch and relax your lat muscles.
Proper rest, timely professional care, and physical therapies will help you recover from lat muscle pain.
