Possible Causes

Upper back pain (sometimes called mid back pain) has many causes. Two common causes include lumbar muscle strains, and discs that are ruptured or herniated.

The lumbar is the lower back, which may lead you to wonder what this has to do with upper back pain symptoms. Well, it's all connected, just like the song goes: "The thigh bone's connected to the back bone, the back bone's connected to the neck bone," and so on. (Likewise, many complain of upper back and arm pain at the same time, or find that stressing one set of muscles causes pain in the other.)

Discs are the rubbery or spongy cushions between the spine's vertebra. When discs get dislocated, this puts pressure on the spine's nerves, which feels like lower back pain, middle back pain, or upper back pain, depending on how and where it happens. Usually discs get pushed out of place when lifting heavy items, or by twisting the back in a way that creates stress.

You may experience this as jolting sensations, or "shock" shooting up to the neck; weakness in the muscles, numb or tingling sensations, and even bladder and bowel problems. The most important step is to rest long enough for the swelling to subside a bit, usually just for a couple of days, since lack of motion can lead to other problems.

Body Awareness

By increasing body awareness, you can often pinpoint the source of your upper back pain.

Pay extra attention to your movement habits, especially any recently acquired ones. Did you start a new job that requires more computer work than you are used to? How about a new movement class, such as martial arts, or maybe a sport such as bowling? Such new and sudden use of back muscle groups often causes muscle stress and tightening. Are you spending more time than usual on the phone, perhaps talking on the cell phone a lot when you drive? Maybe you need to get a speakerphone rather than a specialist. In any case, avoid propping the phone between your head and shoulder.

Some other common causes of new pain: Did you change your mattress or sleeping pattern? How about your computer setup, or your living room setup for watching TV? Does the chair where you do your desk work or watch TV give sufficient support to your back and neck? If you catch yourself craning forward when reading a paper, try bringing the paper to your eyes. How about spending too long with your arms or hands in a fixed or frozen position, like leaning on your shoulder to watch TV? Get up and stretch regularly. A simple change of habit may bring the symptom relief you seek.

Getting Relief

Bring a list of your symptoms to any medical appointment you make to help resolve your back pain, as this can help your medical specialist help you. A doctor can make the initial evaluation of the likely cause of your upper back pain symptoms, and then refer you to a physical therapist if need be. Strengthening and stretching exercises for your upper back, along with regular aerobic exercise such as walking, bicycling, and swimming, are often prescribed as simple and effective ways to relieve many symptoms.

You can do some self-therapy as well. Different sufferers find that different techniques deal more effectively with their particular pain at different times. Some short-term ways to soothe the pain include:

(1) Pressure point massage, several times over the course of a minute, every hour. (Just press on the area of pain for about ten seconds, then exhale and release.)

(2) Fifteen-minute intervals of ice application, perhaps adding or switching to fifteen-minute intervals of heat after several days have passed. (A relaxing shower massage, for example, can count as heat therapy.)

(3) Anti-inflammatory medication for several days. If you restrict your pain reliever use to sleep time, then you get the benefit without the temptation of re-stressing the muscles. Over-the-counter medication such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are usually sufficient. Acetaminophen is believed to be less effective since, unlike the above pain relievers, it lacks the anti-inflammatory quality that frequently provides relief from back pain symptoms.