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Upper Back Pain Causes

While most upper back pain causes can be attributed to muscle strain or ligament sprain, it’s important to receive a proper diagnosis in order to determine whether the problem might be a more serious condition within the cervical (neck) or thoracic (upper or middle back) regions of the spine.

The Role of Nerve Roots

Nerve compression is not uncommon within the cervical spine, where the relative flexibility of the seven cervical vertebrae and the weight of the head can combine with the natural aging process to create anatomical abnormalities. If bone spurs begin to grow, or if an intervertebral disc becomes herniated, nerve that exit at various levels of the cervical spine can become irritated or impinged.

If one of the eight sets of cervical nerve roots (delineated as C1-C8) is affected in this way, it can produce pain at the location of the impingement. Because these nerve roots are also responsible for innervating particular areas of the body, it can lead to upper back pain symptoms like tingling, numbness or muscle weakness beyond the neck or back. Here are the body parts and their associated cervical nerve roots:

• C1, C2 – Head
• C3, C4 – Diaphragm
• C5 – Upper body
• C6 – Wrist and biceps
• C7 – Triceps
• C8 – Hands

Common Conditions that Cause Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain causes can also be attributed to conditions with the thoracic region. Nerve compression is less common here than in the cervical region, but there are other potentially painful conditions that can affect the thoracic spine:?

• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Degenerative disc disease
• Compression fractures or other spinal injuries
• Scheuermann’s disease – an irregular spine curvature (kyphosis) caused when the front of the spine grows slower than the back of the spine
• Structural (secondary) kyphosis – an irregular spine curvature stemming from another spinal condition, such as Paget’s disease
• Postural kyphosis – an irregular curvature caused by poor posture

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Treatment

If you are considering surgery to alleviate chronic upper back pain symptoms, contact Laser Spine Institute (LSI). Find out how tens of thousands of patients have rediscovered a life without pain through the use of our gentle, endoscopic techniques and minimally invasive, outpatient procedures.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.