Causes of Upper Back Pain

The upper back in the human body is a part of the long spinal cord and is known as the thoracic spine. The upper back or the middle back comprises 12 vertebrates with ribs attached to it, which connects it to the breast bone. This structure is known as the thoracic cage and encompasses and protects the important organs of the body, like the heart, liver and lungs. Another function of the firm and stable thoracic spine is to enable a person to stand straight. As the upper back does not have much movement, injury and pain in this part of the spinal cord is less than in the other parts like the neck and the lower back. However, upper back pain, though not a very common occurrence, does affect people, causing them a lot of pain and discomfort.

Causes of Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain majorly occurs due to two main reasons: joint dysfunction and muscular irritation. It can also occur due to spinal stenosis, disc herniations, spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease, etc. Sometimes a person can experience upper back pain due to ailments in the heart. However, these conditions very rarely act as the causes of upper back pain.

Joint Dysfunction
The vertebrae and the ribs of the upper back are connected with two joints on both the sides. Upper back pain can occur when these joints fail to function properly.

Muscular Irritation
Muscular irritation or myofascial pain is caused due to strain in the muscles of the upper back. Such cases normally occur due to road accidents, sports injuries, doing strenuous physical work like bending, and sometimes due to sneezing and coughing in a vigorous manner. This has become a main cause of upper back pain in recent years in people who work by sitting in front of the computer for a long time. As such jobs do not require much movement, there is less blood flow, thus causing trauma in the upper back area.

Uncommon Causes
Herniated disc is caused by the injury to the discs that are present in between every vertebrae which are meant to add stability to the upper back. This is a very rare cause of pain in the upper back area of the spinal cord. Certain other uncommon causes of upper back pain are osteoporosis, arthritis, back spasms and fibromylgia.

Treatment for Upper Back Pain

The cause of upper back pain can be determined by performing tests like MRI or CT Scan. The severity of the condition would help the doctor to decide on what treatment needs to be given to the patient. The most conservative treatment for upper back pain is exercises which involve a lot of stretching. The patient may be asked to join a therapy program, where he or she would be treated with the help of variety of therapies like acupuncture, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation and massage. Sometimes, the patients can also be given medicines like ibuprofen, COX-2 inhibitors, etc., to decrease the pain they are experiencing.

Sometimes, even the specialist is not able to detect upper back pain through the various tests. In such cases, the problem would have arisen due to fracture in the ribs or problems in the vital organs that are enclosed in the thoracic cage.

It is important to consult a physician if a person is experiencing upper back pain for a long period of time. Once the cause of the discomfort is determined, it can be completely cured through appropriate treatment.