What Can Cause Mid Back Pain?

Midback pain is usually a very different type of pain than neck pain or low back pain. Neck pain can cause headaches or problems in the arms and hands, since the nerves to the upper extremities exit the spine in the neck. Low back pain can cause problems in the legs and feet, since the nerves to the lower extremities exit the spine in the low back.

The middle back (generally thought of as the area in between the shoulder blades) does not directly send nerves to the arms or legs. However, the thoracic spine is the site of a long chain of special nerves called the sympathetic nervous system, which directly help to control many of the subconcious workings of your body (breathing, digestion, blood pressure, etc.). Issues in the mid-back will often lead to disruptions of many other bodily systems.

Causes of mid back pain include:

- muscle spasm
- vertebral misalignment or subluxation
- rib misalignment or subluxation
- spinal degeneration
- heavy or loose backpacks
- postural syndrome
- scoliosis
- kyphosis
- shingles
- fibromyalgia
- T4 syndrome
- referred pain from organs such as the heart, kidneys, or stomach (even from heartburn)
- an inflammatory arthritis like ankylosing spondylitis
- compression fracture
- rib fracture
- infection
- tubercolosis
- bone diseases such as Paget's Disease, multiple myeloma, or osteoid osteoma

Can you think of any other causes of mid back pain?