What Conditions Can Cause Middle Back Pain?

The spine is the body's primary support structure, protecting the spinal cord, sensitive nerve roots, and various internal organs. The spine maintains us upright by connecting the head, chest, pelvis, shoulders, arms, and legs. Because of the delicate nature of the anatomy, nerve discomfort extending from the back to the feet might be caused by a problem in your lumbar spine. While some individuals with uncomfortable middle back discomfort suffer just modest pain, others describe severe pain that interferes with daily activities.

What Factors Influence Middle Back Pain?

Problems with the thoracic spine often cause middle back discomfort. The thoracic spine (or mid-back) is a large section of the spine that contains several joints and muscles, all of which can cause middle-back discomfort.

The most common causes of mid back pain are torn muscles or damaged ribs. Other common reasons include broken or cracked ribs, swelling rib cartilage, traumas to the chest, osteoporosis, muscular spasms, and inflammation around the lining of the lungs. Furthermore, other significant spinal problems might be the underlying cause of middle back discomfort.

Middle Back Pain From a Herniated Disc

A herniated disc occurs when a disc bulge ruptures or herniates through the fragile wall of the intervertebral disc. As a result, the fluid substance from the core of the disc might leak into the spinal canal, causing severe middle back pain by impinging on sensitive nerves on one side of the body. In most cases, disc herniation results from slow, age-related wear and tear known as disc degeneration. 

The signs and symptoms of herniated discs vary depending on where they are located in the spine and if they are pushing on a nerve. The most typical symptoms are discomfort in the buttocks, thigh, and calf, numbness or tingling from the damaged nerves, and muscular weakness that impairs stability and ability to lift or hold objects.

Middle Back Pain Caused by Kidney Stones

Internal organs like the kidney or colon might produce middle back discomfort in the lower left back. Patients may have middle back pain when a stone travels inside the left kidney or through the tiny tubes that link the kidneys to the bladder. When a kidney stone begins to migrate through the ureters, patients may experience a variety of symptoms, including:

• Sharp middle back discomfort beneath the ribs;

• Fever and chills (if an infection exists);

• Nausea and vomiting;

• Pink, crimson, or brown urine;

• Urine that is cloudy or smells terrible;

• Painful urination.

Kidney stones occur when a patient's urine contains too many crystal-forming chemicals, such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid, for the fluid to dilute. Alternatively, a patient's urine may lack chemicals that keep crystals from staying together, producing an excellent environment for kidney stone development.

Understanding the sort of kidney stone that a patient has can aid with therapy and prevention.

The majority of minor kidney stones may be treated without intrusive procedures. Patients can treat acute middle back pain by drinking water and using pain medications. However, kidney stones that cannot be handled conservatively may necessitate more comprehensive procedures, such as surgical extraction.

Middle Back Pain From Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent kind of arthritis, impacting millions of individuals globally. Osteoarthritis, often known as spinal arthritis, is a degenerative disease that gradually erodes bone near weight-bearing joints and disc cartilage. 

Common osteoarthritis symptoms include joint discomfort during or after activity, joint stiffness, loss of flexibility, swelling, and bone spurs. Osteoarthritis, according to spine specialists, is a "wear and tear" disease because it causes degradation of the connective tissues that hold the joint together and connect muscle to bone. Women are more prone to osteoarthritis. Other risk factors that patients should be aware of include age, obesity, joint traumas, heredity, bone abnormalities, and certain metabolic illnesses.

Patients can get an accurate osteoarthritis diagnosis from a board-certified spine surgeon. Doctors will do a physical exam, looking for joint discomfort, edema, redness, and flexibility. Diagnostic imaging techniques such as X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help spine specialists better understand a patient's condition. 

Unfortunately, osteoarthritis is permanent; however, therapies can alleviate middle back discomfort and allow patients to walk without debilitating agony. Patients can treat their osteoarthritis-related middle back pain with over-the-counter medicines, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and, if necessary, surgery.