Radiating Mid Back Pain

Has your mid back pain begun travelling around your chest wall? Does the pain wrap around one side of your chest or ribs? Is it aggravated by twisting, bending, lifting, taking a deep breath, coughing, or reaching overhead? Some episodes begin suddenly after lifting, twisting, or an awkward movement. Others develop gradually without any obvious injury.

The fact that your pain travels around your chest rather than staying between your shoulder blades is an important clue. Unlike localized mid back pain, radiating mid back pain most commonly suggests irritation involving one or more of the ribs and the associated nerves. Although these symptoms can be alarming, they do not necessarily mean you have suffered a disc injury or require surgery.

If your pain stays mainly between your shoulder blades without travelling around your chest wall, please click here to learn about localized mid back pain.

Many patients assume radiating mid back pain means they have a pinched nerve or bulging disc. In reality, thoracic disc injuries are much less common than most people think.

In my 30 years of clinical practice, I have found that radiating mid back pain most commonly comes from biomechanical irritation or partial displacement of one or more ribs. Running beneath each rib is an artery and nerve. Irritation of the rib can therefore produce not only localized mid back pain and protective muscle splinting, but also the classic pain pattern that follows the involved rib around the chest wall.

Separating out the individual components involved and establishing exactly what is causing what is the key to your prognosis and response to conservative, non-operative care.

Episodes of uncomplicated mid back pain that resolve within a few days are usually suggestive of a simple pulled or strained muscle without significant underlying biomechanical involvement.

With radiating mid back pain that continues around the chest wall, there is usually an underlying biomechanical component involving the rib and assicated joint that needs to be addressed. Many patients begin stretching, strengthening, or searching online for exercises. Unfortunately, these generic recommendations often only serve to further irritate the already inflamed rib and surrounding tissues and do little to address the actual underlying cause of your problem.

Identifying all components of the underlying injury and reducing irritation around the involved rib and nerve is the first step toward relieving your symptoms.

Yes. The good news is that most cases of radiating mid back pain respond rapidly to chiropractic care once the actual source and all associated components have been accurately diagnosed. Over the past 30 years, I have had the privilege of helping over 500 patients with radiating mid back pain, with most pain free and back to their normal activities in as little as 1–4 visits.

If your pain is travelling around your chest wall or is aggravated by twisting, bending, lifting, reaching overhead, or taking a deep breath, it should be evaluated to determine the exact cause.

Different mid back conditions often produce remarkably similar symptoms, but they do not all require the same treatment. An evaluation is designed to determine exactly what is causing your pain so the right treatment can be recommended from the beginning.

Important: If your pain feels like pressure, heaviness, or tightness in your chest, or a severe pain travelling directly from the front of your chest through to your back, seek immediate medical attention.