Hey everybody, this is Dr. Pat at Springfield Wellness Center. And today we’re gonna be talking about middle back pain. So the middle back is the area part of the thoracic spine, which comes through here, usually about these levels of the spine, you know, T 5 through T 12 is the typical middle back range there, you know, T 1 through T 5 would be the upper back, and then the lower back would be the lumbar region. So it’s really this area right here that we’re talking about. Now, this area is unique for a couple of reasons.
First off, the spine has a curve that goes in the opposite direction as the neck and the lower back. This is a kyphotic curve. And what this does is this helps to bring balance to the spine, it helps to balance the opposite curves that we see in the neck and the lower back, making the spine a very strong sturdy structure. And what that allows it to do is absorb force from all the movements that we do, and keep everything healthy and strong in the spine. The other unique aspect about the thoracic spine is that’s where the ribs attach, as well. And so with ribs attached here on the sides of the spine, here, they form their own joints, and those joints can sometimes become you know, irritated as well or misaligned.
So we’re gonna be talking about five different common causes of pain that we see in this region here in the middle back.
Posture
So number one would be a postural problem. So this is the most common probably, and that’s the reason or the reason for that is a lot of people spend a lot of time sitting, you know, for work or at home. And that’s something that puts a lot of stress, you know, from a postural standpoint, because it causes us to use our muscles in different ways, and sometimes turns off muscles altogether. So when we’re sitting, some of these muscles we’re not using, and so they get weak over time. And in other ways, when we’re sitting, it causes imbalance in those muscles. And over time, we can see our posture start to shift, so your shoulders roll forward or head go forward. And that causes a lot of muscle tension and imbalance that carries further down.
Spine Subluxation
Another common cause of pain that we see through here is subluxation. And this is what chiropractors treat subluxation is when there is a misalignment in the spine. And that creates pressure on these nerves that starts to cause symptoms for people, one of which commonly is pain. And so whenever we have a subluxation, they’re the only thing that can fix that is a chiropractic adjustment to help relieve the pressure and restore function and motion to that joint.
Rib Subluxation
The third would be a different kind of subluxation, called the rib subluxation, which is misalignment of that rib joint where it meets the spine. Now this is a very painful condition that causes a lot of sharp pain, especially when you’re taking a deep breath in. Because as you breathe in, that joint is moving with the ribcage as it expands as the lungs fill with air. So in order to do that, we need to adjust that segment to get things back into good alignment take the pressure off that area. And usually relief is pretty instant whenever that adjustment is performed.
Muscle Strain
The fourth cause of pain commonly in the middle back is a muscle strain. So we got lots of muscles in this area, some that are keeping us upright, some that are allowing for movement of the shoulder blades in the spine. And it’s common sometimes for a muscle to get overworked or damaged. And so when we have a muscle strain, it means that some of those fibers have gotten damaged, and there’s irritation and inflammation in that area. And so for that you want to be looking at things like massage therapy or deep tissue laser to help address that kind of that cause of pain there.
Scoliosis
And then the last one would be scoliosis. And this is a unique condition that usually starts from a very early age, not really a known cause for it. But what we see is instead of just having these front to back curves, we also start to see some side to side curves. So it starts to look something like this. And what that does is it inherently builds imbalance into the spine, because obviously, it’s curving one way and that also the other, and that creates imbalance in the muscles in the joints and how they’re able to move. And so it can sometimes cause you know, pain and dysfunction for a lot of people. Some people may not have any issues with it, but others can sometimes have quite a bit of trouble with that. So it’s important to restore as much function as possible to the spine. You know, if somebody is skeletally mature and you can’t change the shape of their spine, you can still certainly preserve those joints, you know, and those disc materials as well to try to maintain that quality of life for as long as possible.
So there’s five common causes of pain for the middle back, you know, all of these things can be addressed here at Springfield Wellness Center, and we do so on an everyday basis. So if some of this is someone, or this is something that you’re dealing with, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to help you out.