Mid Back Pain

The region of the spine from just below the neck, up to the bottom of the rib cage, is called the mid-back. Many people suffer from mid back pain that is experienced in this area. For some, the area between the shoulder blades may hurt, while others may suffer from upper mid back pain. The severity of this pain varies from person to person.

There are many different causes for mid back pain, ranging from illnesses to direct trauma such as sports injuries, car accidents, etc. Some possible causes of mid back pain are:

• Ruptured Disc: If an intervertebral disc gets ruptured (also called slipped disc or herniated disc), it will cause fairly severe back pain. When a portion of the cushion that lies between the spinal vertebra is pushed out of its normal position, it usually presses upon the spinal cord and spinal nerves, causing the pain. Depending on where the rupture takes place, it can cause upper, mid or lower mid back pain. There are a number of treatment options, ranging from therapy to surgery.
• Spinal Stenosis: Mid back pain caused by this condition is an outcome of the aging process. As the body ages, certain conditions such as arthritis cause the spinal canal to constrict, which is one of the causes of mid back pain.
• Lumbar Spine Arthritis: While most of us are familiar with arthritis affecting joints of the knees and fingers, it can also affect the small joints of the spine and thus cause pain in mid back or in other parts of the spine.
• Spondylolisthesis: This is a condition where adjoining vertebra lose their stability and start to 'slip'. Spondylolisthesis is usually an age related disease, where degeneration of the stabilizing structures of the spinal column cause the slipping. This instability of the spine can cause pain.
• Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis causes the bones to weaken, the outcome of which is a number of orthopedic problems. Mid back pain from osteoporosis is usually due to compression fractures of the vertebra.

Among the more unusual causes of mid back pain could be a dietary mistake. Some of the nerves that emanate from this part of the spine lead to the organs that control blood-sugar (pancreas, liver, and adrenal glands). An example of how this pain can be triggered is when a person consumes a whole bag of candy in one go. This results in a carb (sugar or starch) overload, which can cause this region of the spine to go out of place and consequently irritate the adjacent nerves.

As there are a number of different conditions that cause mid back pain, treatment administered has to be to correct the root of the problem. While identifying the cause of the pain, the location of the discomfort, whether it is right mid back pain or left mid back pain, must be clearly pointed out to the physician for an accurate diagnosis. For some people, just reducing or avoiding strain to the spine can bring relief. Alternately, ice/heat treatment or medication may also alleviate pain. However, if the pain persists for more than a few days or is severe enough to wake you up in the night, it is advisable to seek medical evaluation. Other indications of a more grave problem are if one faces difficulty controlling bowels or bladder or if the pain is accompanied with fever, sweats or chills.

Other treatment options that could bring relief (depending on the problem) include physical therapy (including mid back pain exercises), electrical stimulation, traction, wearing a brace or hydrotherapy. One may also explore chiropractic procedures to relieve mid back pain. Nutritional supplementation is also believed to help reduce back pain, as they play an important part of any healing process. With good nutrition, ligaments, discs and nerves repair faster. Nutrition can be used to correct blood-sugar balance, heal the stomach lining and help clean the gall bladder and thus deal with possible causes of mid back pain.