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While mid back pain can be very severe, it is often fairly simple to diagnose and treat. To better understand mid back pain, it’s easiest to divide it into categories of the source of the pain and the quality of the pain. This is to say, a sharp pain in the midback may be much different than a dull mid back pain.

Sharp pain under the shoulder blade

The most common mid back pain I treat in my office is a sharp or stabbing pain under the shoulder blade. So what is the cause of sharp upper back pain? Most often I find that it is a rib that is jammed up. Each rib has two joints connecting it to the thoracic spine in back. In front, the rib connects directly to the sternum or in the case of lower ribs, to the costal cartilage which then connects to the sternum.

These joints allow the rib cage to expand and raise up and down as we breath. If either of these motions are restricted, the joints become irritated and inflamed causing pain. Sometimes the inflammation spills over onto the intercostal nerve between the two ribs or the nerve is pinched by the ribs. The simple solution to rib pain is to restore movement to the rib joints. This can be done with chiropractic adjusting, however, not all chiropractors check the ribs and adjust them. In my experience, I find more joint dysfunction in the ribs than in the thoracic spine itself.

Another important question to ask is; How do rib joints get jammed up? If there is some kind of trauma, the cause is obvious, but sometimes, they just start hurting. In these cases, the cause is most likely joint dysfunction in other areas of the body. There are very strong muscles that attach to the ribs and mid back from both above and below. These muscles will adapt to misalignment elsewhere in the body to keep us upright. Over time, the tension on the ribs can cause them to lock up. You may get very quick relief from sharp pain under the shoulder blade aka rib pain with a rib adjustment, but often that’s just relieving the symptom. To really solve the problem you need chiropractic care for the whole frame.

Sometimes people worry that this might be a heart attack. Mid back pain is one possible symptom of a heart attack, especially in women if it comes with other symptoms of heart attack such as shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, light headedness, stomach, chest or neck pain. Though usually heart attack related upper back pain is experienced as a dull pain or tightness around the chest and upper back.

Dull pain in the mid back

Most dull mid back pain is experienced as a chronic ache that comes on later in the day. This pain is from stress on the joints of the thoracic spine. Ligaments are made of fibrous tissue that connects one bone to another. They both support the joints and limit joints to their normal range of motion.

Unfortunately, much of what people do these days contributes to poor posture. We are constantly sitting and either slouching to relax or leaning forward to do things. This really pulls on the ligaments on the back of the spine and puts slack into ligaments on the front of the spine. Over time, the back ones get stretched out and the front ones shrink. Now you have a slouch and it’s hard to sit up straight.

Again, the solution is chiropractic adjusting to loosen up those joints. You can help this process with stretching the muscles of your chest, especially the pecs. Using a foam roller to open up the ligaments of the thoracic spine is also very helpful.

Radiating pain from back to the chest or arm

Most people understand that radiating pain is from pinched nerves. The question is which nerves and where are they being pinched. If the pain starts near your spine and wraps around your ribs, an intercostal nerve is being pinched. These are spinal nerves that come off the spinal cord, travel through spaces between the thoracic vertebrae and between each set of ribs.

Unlike the lumbar spine, the thoracic spine rarely has disc herniations. As we get older, pretty much everyone gets some disc degeneration in the thoracic spine. So it’s possible the nerve is being pinched at the spine, but if you are under 60 and have relatively good posture, it’s more likely being pinched by a rib. Again, this can be an easy short term fix, but may need more attention to the overall frame to clear the underlying cause.

If the pain starts just below your neck and goes into your arm, it’s a bit more complicated. In this case, you may have a bulging disc in your neck. This situation responds well to chiropractic adjusting and traction. Nerves from the lower part of your neck and upper thoracic spine also travel through a space between your first rib and your collar bone before traveling down your arm to you hand. A pinch here may be caused by one of several muscles that cross over the nerves or trouble with the first rib or collar bone. This is called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. A combination of chiropractic adjusting, muscle work and stretching can eliminate TOS.

Sometimes people worry that this might be a heart attack. Mid back pain is one possible symptom of a heart attack, especially in women if it comes with other symptoms of heart attack such as shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, light headedness, stomach, chest or neck pain. Usually heart attack related upper back pain is experienced as a dull pain or tightness around the chest and upper back.

Middle back pain red flags

In addition to mid back pain being a possible symptom of a heart attack there are several other conditions possible that would need medical attention. These are much less common than the simple joint dysfunction that responds well to chiropractic care. Some of these conditions can be seen on x-ray such as compression fracture, bone infection, bone or lung cancer or aortic dissection. The pancreas, kidneys and digestive system can also create referred pain to the mid or lower back. Red flags would be sudden, severe pain, dizziness, pain that never goes away, fever, pain that wakes you up at night or weight loss.

Mid back pain Summary

While mid-back pain is less common than lower back pain or neck pain, it can be just as severe. Chronic midback pain can really wear on a person. Fortunately, most mid back pain can be cleared out with a short course of chiropractic treatment. More involved cases will take more time and attention to the overall biomechanics of the body and ongoing maintenance chiropractic care.

If you are currently experiencing mid-back pain with or without radiating pain into your chest or arm and are in San Rafael CA or Marin County feel free to set up a free phone consultation to discuss your case.

Have Hope

This may be a big ask for you. In the last weeks or months you have suffered. You have tried everything you know to try to heal. You may have spent hundreds or thousands of dollars. You have fought with your own limited capacity to think, plan and execute. You no longer feel you are yourself. You are afraid and you may be losing hope.

What if there was one word, one concept that embodied the most significant quality of health and well-being? What do you think that word would be. Well you know I’m a chiropractor, so you might guess that I would say something related to the nervous system, or maybe the alignment of the spine. Maybe preventing Tech Neck. You would warm, but in my mind the single most important thing for health is…

Can Coffee Make You Tired?

Caffeine is the most common psychotropic drug in use. It’s legal and it is oh so good. We drink coffee to battle fatigue, a quick energy boost, and oddly, to relax. But does it really do what we think it does? There is information coming out praising coffee and caffeine in general as being helpful against Alzheimer’s, diabetes and heart disease, but does that really mean that it’s healthy?

The Power of a Healthy Nervous System

Why is it important to make time for your Nerves?  You may come home from work every day completely exhausted.You may spend most of your day taking care of your family with precious little time for yourself. Or you could be a single parent who does it all: makes breakfast, lunch and dinner for everyone, works at a high-pressure job, and rarely has a spare minute to savor anything. Or perhaps you’re an über-busy executive, laser-focused on your business from early morning to late at night, five to seven days a week.

No matter what your situation, if you don’t make time for yourself to see your chiropractor, you’re not being proactive in maintaining good back and neck health. Your nervous system is suffering and you are missing out on having a higher level of energy and vitality.

Jaw Problems and Headaches Are Often Interrelated

Do you ever wonder if tmj jaw problems cause headaches? Do you ever wake up in the morning with a headache? If you yawn or chew, does your jaw click? Do you think your jaw issues and your headaches could be connected to each other?

Concussion can be sneaky. It happens when your brain hits the inside of your skull. You don’t even need to hit your head. Whiplash injuries, that are common in car accidents and sports, jar the head forcefully and can cause just as much damage as being struck.

Advice from a Chiropractor

Do you have a series of head pain that just won’t go away and are affecting you at work or while playing sports? Does the pain of migraines stop you in your tracks? Do your sinuses ache? Is stress bothering you? Do you have intermittent dizzy spells?

Don’t you wish there was a way to have someone prevent you from having to yell, “Why does my head hurt?’

In this article, I discuss the types of headaches that my patients have –– and how I resolve their problems with chiropractic care.

How often do you think high school sports injuries and concussions occur? Whether you have a child who plays in a team sport or not, sports injuries, especially concussions, are a lot more common than you might think.

Clayton Kershaw. Andrew Bogut. Tony Romo. Tiger Woods. Peyton Manning. What do all of these different athletes have in common?  A herniated disc.

They’ve all been in the news over the last few years because of disc herniations in their backs, which can be very painful, even excruciating.

In fact, Clayton Kershaw, the L.A. Dodgers’ pitching ace, was first diagnosed with a disc herniation in his back in June, and was just moved to a 60-day disabled list, meaning he can’t throw, catch or even pick up a baseball until at least late August.

In my most recent article, “Does a Chiropractor Need to Crack My Back?”, I discussed the pros and cons of twisting the body to crack your back.  It’s not always the best way to relieve pain and pressure on the facet joints connecting each of your 33 vertebrae.

In this article, I’ll move up your spine a bit and discuss the practice of cracking your neck.

Concussions are an everyday occurrence in a wide range of sports. Many of my patients are sports enthusiasts and it is not uncommon to hear that they have had one or multiple concussions over their lifetimes.

You might have heard about or seen the movie Concussion, where accomplished pathologist, Dr. Bennett Omalu, uncovers the truth about brain damage among Pittsburgh Steelers and other football players who had suffered from repeated head trauma. The truth is, a concussion head injury isn’t limited to professional athletes.

If you were to stop and ask someone on the street, “What does a chiropractor do?” you might hear them say that a “chiropractor cracks peoples’ backs.” But is that really the truth? Is cracking your back all a chiropractor does?

Stretches You Can Do at Your Desk

Going from the bed to the car to the desk to the sofa, many of my patients feel the need to stretch, but just don’t take the time. When you are sitting all day, you need to stretch to avoid the aches and pains that come with a stiff body. You may not have an hour a day to do a stretch or yoga class, but, it’s important to stretch a little bit frequently to really stay flexible. A good stretch begins from a position of good posture. When stretching at your desk, make sure you have your ergonomics set up first to minimize stress on the body. When you are sitting properly, it will be easier to stretch at your desk or even in your car.

“Oh, my aching back!” Why does your back hurt today and not yesterday? Did you pick something up that was too heavy without bending your legs? Did you sleep with your neck off the side of the pillow? Or did you just wake up and your back suddenly hurt? If you were to ask these questions to my patients, you would hear all sorts of answers. It’s amazing how many myths about back pain there are. To help you understand exactly why your back might be hurting, here are the 5 most common myths that I discuss with my patients and the answers you need to know.

San Rafael Chiropractor Shares Advice

According to the Arthritis Foundation, an estimated 50 to 80% of American adults will experience back pain. When your back hurts, you want to know the cause so you can do something about it.

But, reasons vary and they are often hard to figure out. We all have 24 vertebrae that can get knocked out of line, strained, twisted, or compressed and that can happen in many different ways leading to pain.

5 Proven Techniques from a Chiropractor

Many people realize that their neck or back pain becomes worse after sitting for extended or sometimes even short period of times. In our culture, most of us spend much of our day seated, whether it’s on the drive to work, at a desk in front of a computer , eating and even relaxing on the sofa after a long day. No matter where you are sitting, the same posture and ergonomic concerns apply. The more you are able to apply the following guidelines, the less stress you will have on your spine and the less likely you will be to experience back or neck pain.

You probably haven’t actively thought about how to strengthen your neck, but you wake up after you “slept funny” and you’ve got a crick. Then that crick turns into a lot of pain in and around your neck that just won’t go away by itself. At this point most people start to wonder if a Chiropractor would be good solution or if this is “just” neck pain they will have to live with. The good news, a chiropractor can help you with neck issues.

Do you have headaches more than a few times a week? Are they tension headaches? Or are they migraines? At Balance Chiropractic, many of my patients seek headache help in San Rafael, because their pain can be caused by a wide variety of problems.

In this article I’ll be discussing how you can be treated with chiropractic techniques and cranial therapies to ease your headache pain. I offer a variety of therapies to analyze and correct most issues that address the needs of headache suffers.

What is Causing My Constant Headache?

If you’ve found this page, there’s a good chance that you’re one of the millions of people who suffer from headache. In fact, you may already know that a severe headache is the #1 reason for missing work. So, if you’re one of those folks who’s tired of missing work or loosing quality time with friends and family, because your head throbs or bright lights hurt your eyes, this article is for you.

Chiropractic Solutions for Athletes

When you think about it, Marin is like a giant park, with all kinds of wonderful and easily accessible indoor and outdoor activities to keep you fit, trim and in great shape. It’s our own slice of paradise.

Whether you’re a weekend warrior, training for a triathlon, the Dipsea Race or the Double Dipsea (for you masochists out there), it’s fairly common to tweak a muscle or joint.

How Chiropractic Helps Backs Feel Better
“Oh my aching back,” is a phase I’ve heard all too often in my chiropractic office and it’s not surprising as back pain is one of the most common issues I treat. The fact that you found this article tells me that you most likely have some kind of back pain.

In this article, I’ll outline some of the common causes for lower and upper back ailments, then I’ll describe how I treat them.