Upper Back Pain Common Causes
| Published by | Passaic County Pain Care |
|---|---|
| Reading order | Sections are numbered in the order they build on each other. |
| Sources | Each source is linked where it is quoted. |
Upper back pain, neck pain and thoracic pain are often used as if they were one label. Decide which of the three you mean before you compare anything. A reader in Paterson comparing pages will see the three used loosely, sometimes within a single paragraph.
When the neck is the source
OrthoInfo (AAOS) draws a link between regions. In some people, neck problems may be the source of pain in the upper back, shoulders, or arms. The words "in some people" and "may be" limit the claim. Neck problems are one possible source of upper back pain, not a certain one.
For a general overview of back pain types and causes, see the NIAMS back pain overview.
When the thoracic spine is named
Cleveland Clinic uses a more specific term in its page on epidural steroid injections. The term comes with a treatment option for named conditions, not an explanation for every upper back ache. If you have pain in your upper or middle back from a thoracic disk herniation or thoracic spinal stenosis, your provider may recommend a thoracic ESI.
The MedlinePlus page on spinal stenosis is a neutral place to read what that label covers.
Asking which part of the back is meant
A promise of relief for "upper back pain" may treat that phrase as one problem. If you are offered care for it, ask what diagnosis is assumed and which region is being examined, since the neck, the upper back and the lower back are different places.
Sciatica turns up in the same back pain searches. The MedlinePlus sciatica page is the place to check what that label covers before you assume it applies.
The difference that should decide the question
Find out which region the description is about. That detail decides whether a description applies to you. The MedlinePlus pain overview is a sensible general reference to keep open while you compare.