Thoracic Pain
Thoracic pain is not a very commonly found spinal or back disorder. However, when it occurs it can cause the sufferer a lot of pain as well as discomfort. Thoracic pain or upper back pain most commonly is caused by muscular problems or irritation like myosfascial pain. It can also be caused by joint dysfunction.
This type of problem can also be a result of an injury or trauma to the discs present in the thoracic spine anatomy. These injuries can result in disorders like herniated disc or degenerated disc which is the main cause behind upper back pain. However, these types of injuries are rare as this particular section of the spinal column has a lot of stability and really little movement so the risk of injury or degeneration is really low.
CAUSES OF UPPER BACK PAIN
The causes of upper back pain can be numerous and can range from a sudden injury or trauma to poor posture as well as too much pressure and strain to the upper back. Due to people keeping a bad posture as well putting too much strain on the upper back, thoracic pain is know a common problem for people who work on computers for long hours. Upper back pain is usually accompanied with shoulder pain or neck pain. The other main causes of this type of pain are:
- Joint Dysfunction
- Muscular irritation (myofascial pain)
THORACIC PAIN TREATMENT OPTIONS
Usually doctors prefer to treat thoracic pain through conservative treatment options and surgery is only considered when the symptoms of the problem fail to subside through non-invasive treatment options.
Non-surgical treatment options include, physical therapy, back strengthening exercises, narcotic and non-narcotic analgesic medications, chiropractic manipulations, epidural injections and ice packs.
Surgery for upper back treatment includes decompression which is usually done to relive the pressure on the spinal cord.
