Focus area
Upper Back
The broad muscles across your upper back and along the spine. Desk work, hunching and back day leave it stiff and heavy — like carrying a stone between the shoulder blades.
Prone Cobra
Superman
Straight-arm pulldown (band)
More actions in this plan
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More stretches for this area
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Why this area gets sore
A few muscles in this area are especially prone to tightening up and aching. Match your symptoms below to figure out which one is talking to you.
Rhomboids
The muscles between your shoulder blades and the spine. After a day hunched at a desk the area between the blades feels tight and heavy, like a stone sits there — and chest-opening stretches feel blissful.
Latissimus dorsi
The largest muscle, fanning from your mid-back down to your waist. Pull-ups and rows leave it sore across the back and toward the armpit, with a pull across the back when you reach overhead.
Lower trapezius
The lower half of the trapezius spread across your mid-back. When it's weak your shoulders shrug to compensate; after back day a sore spot near the spine mid-back and a weak feeling on lat pull-downs point to it.
See a doctor if any of these apply
Stretching helps everyday muscle soreness. If any of the following sounds like you, it may be more than tired muscles — donât push through:
- Pain radiating from your arm or leg down into your fingers or toes, or with numbness and weakness
- The soreness started after a fall, impact or other injury, or the area is visibly swollen
- It hasnât improved after a week, or it wakes you up at night
- It comes with fever, chest tightness, dizziness, or loss of bladder or bowel control
- The pain is severe enough to stop normal movement, or you canât bear any force on it