After Work Today I Went Breathe In And It Hurt

Posted on Fri, 12 Jun 2020

Question: After work today I went breathe in and it hurt my upper back when breathing in deeply. It doesn’t hurt when I stand straight up but when my back is bent over at all, I can feel the slight pain when I breathe in deep. I was wondering if this is just most likely a muscle tear or if I just pulled a muscle in my back from work?

Follow up: Dr. Nishad BN (7 minutes later)

or if i just pulled a muscle in my back? i work as a general contractor so i have to lift very heavy object frequently and move then around. a lot of physical labor.

Answered by Dr. Nishad BN (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Upper back muscle strain.

Detailed Answer:
Hi Sir
Thank you for asking ask a doctor service.
I have gone through your query. Your problem can be most likely due to upper back muscle strain. This can occur due to excess muscle pull or mild tears in muscle fibres. You can use ice packs to apply on and off on the affected area. This you can do for 15 to 20 minutes. You can repeat this 3 to 4 times daily.
You can also take over the counter NSAID group drugs like Motrin (Ibuprofen). You can take this 400mg thrice daily after food. Taking this for 3 days will be helpful to get relief from the condition. A short period of 3 days rest from hard physical activity is also advised.
If no improvement then consult your GP.

Let me know if anything not clear.
I am happy to help you.
Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana