Middle Back Pain

Middle Back Pain

Get long term relief from middle back pain!

Middle back pain is the pain or discomfort that you experience in the area between your upper and lower back. Your spine doctor might call this area as the lower thoracic area or lower thoracic spine.

In this middle back region, there are 12 spinal discs, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, ligaments, and tendons. If any of the structures in the spine or the middle back area become irritated or inflamed due to an injury or a serious medical condition, you’d experience excruciating middle back pain.

If you experience middle back pain along with one or more of the following symptoms, it may be an indication of an mild or serious condition causing your middle back pain:

Dull pain in the middle back
Burning sensation in the middle back region
Sharp or stabbing pain in the middle back area
Muscle tightness or stiffness
Tingling sensation in the arms, chest, or legs
Morning stiffness & pain in the middle back
Redness, warmth or swelling of the back
Shoulder, neck or hip pain along with middle back pain
Sleeping problems
Fever, headache, fatigue, etc

When you have one or more of the above middle back pain red flags, it’s advisable to visit your doctor.

But do not be afraid! Most middle back pain symptoms can be addressed with just physical therapy, posture correction and simple medication. The middle back pain symptoms are a call from your body for your attention.

Simple exercises & posture awareness along with a spine specialist’s guidance will go a long way in addressing your middle back pain and also strengthening your spine!

Middle Back Pain?

Feel free to talk to me. I will be happy to answer all your questions and concerns.

Make your appointment today!

+44 7956 318383

Causes of Middle Back Pain

Middle back pain is not as common as lower back pain. This is because the thoracic spine does not move as much as the spine in the lower back and neck.

But if you are not aware of your middle back pain and if you don’t take the right self-care measures or treatment, your middle back pain may become overwhelming and affect your everyday living.

Some of the most common underlying causes of middle back pain are:

Poor posture

Obesity

Muscle injury caused by accident, collision or lifting heavyweights

Muscle strain

Ageing

In some rare cases, Middle Back Pain can also be caused by more serious medical conditions such as:

Herniated disc

Osteoarthritis

Osteoporosis

Paget’s disease

Scoliosis

Spinal tumour or cancer

Spine fracture

Spinal degeneration

Spinal stenosis

Spondylitis

Kyphosis

Regardless of the underlying cause, long term pain relief from your middle back pain is 100% possible! All you have to do is visit your spine doctor when your middle back pain persists for more than a few days.

If you are suffering from middle back pain, book an offline/online consultation today in London with Mr Rajesh at 07956 318 383!

He’ll help you identify the underlying cause of your middle back pain and start you on the right treatment plan personalised especially for you!

Diagnosis for Middle Back Pain

It is important to find the exact cause of your middle back pain so that it can be effectively treated. The problem is that the symptoms for sciatica, slipped discs and muscle injury are pretty much similar. An experienced Consultant Spine Surgeon will be able to diagnose your condition and recommend practical solutions.

Mr Rajesh will use one or more of the following diagnostic procedures to pinpoint the cause of your middle back pain caused by a possible pinched nerve in your back.

Physical Examination:

Specialist physical assessment of your spinal joints, ligaments & muscles helps Mr Rajesh understand where the pain is. He will be able to assess the cause and extent of your middle back pain with these examinations.

You may need other tests:

MRI Scans:

Consultant Spine Surgeon Mr Rajesh will need magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to look at your middle back muscles, soft tissues, ligaments, black disc, disc prolapse and spinal stenosis. This information along with your story will help Mr Rajesh decide and recommend the best plan of action.

MRI scan is the best investigation to get information on the soft tissues.

X-Ray:

Standing X-rays from your front and the side will give Mr Rajesh a good assessment of your spinal alignment, if there are some spinal curvature, scoliosis or fractures.

CT scans:

Computerised Tomography (CT) is not needed routinely as it brings in the risk of significant radiation. But it is very useful to look at the extent of damage to your bones in your spine. It therefore gives valuable information of the structure and shape of the spine.

Blood tests:

Blood tests are not routinely needed in the investigation of middle back pain. These are useful if the you have fever, infection or suspicion of inflammation.

Bone density test:

Also known as a DXA (or DEXA) test, is used to determine whether you have osteoporosis or if you are at risk of getting it.

Nerve Conduction studies:

Electromyography (EMG) is used to reveal whether you have a compressed nerve, which may be caused by a herniated disc or spinal stenosis.

Diagnosing the underlying cause of your middle back pain at the right time is essential to start your ideal treatment plan!

Treatment for Middle Back Pain

Experienced back pain specialist in London, Mr Mangattil Rajesh, takes the time to understand the underlying causes for your upper back pain. Mr Rajesh then creates a tailor-made multi-disciplinary middle back pain treatment plan specifically for you.

This middle back pain treatment plan involves one or more of the following:

Medications:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation.

Paracetamol
Codine
Naproxen

Muscle relaxants like diazepam are also prescribed in some cases to treat muscle spasms and ease nerve-damage pain.

Physiotherapy & Exercises:

Mr. Rajesh believes in treating most of the middle back pain issues through non-surgical ways such as lifestyle correction, exercises, and physiotherapy as part of his comprehensive middle back pain treatment plan in London.

Spine injections:

Mr Rajesh prescribes epidural, facet joint, nerve root steroid joint injections for some cases to give immediate relief from acute middle back pain.

Spine Injections relieve pain instantly for cases where extreme pain and discomfort are debilitating. This also helps the patient heal quickly from the condition causing their middle back pain. This is a very safe and minimally invasive procedure that gives excellent pain relief for months. It also provides an opportunity for people with middle back pain to break the cycle of pain and heal completely.

Spine specialist Mr Rajesh takes a multi-disciplinary approach to middle back pain treatment in London. He believes in treating and healing his middle back pain patients without surgery in most cases.

In some instances, if there is a herniated disc that is causing pressure on your nerves after spine steroid injections, Mr Rajesh might suggest a Minimally Invasive Surgery.

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery:

Surgery is rarely indicated for middle back pain. Mr Rajesh will consider surgery only if your back pain does not settle with an adequate trial of medications, physiotherapy and spine injections. He would always suggest minimally invasive surgery for less tissue dissection & a faster recovery. Mr Mangattil Rajesh is a skilful practitioner of minimally invasive spine surgery.

Minimally invasive spine surgery helps to release pressure on the nerves caused by disc prolapse or or your nerves trapped in the spinal canal.

Some of the most common minimally invasive surgical procedures for middle back pain are:

Microdiscectomy: It is the gold standard procedure for minimally invasive removal of herniated discs.

Decompression: This procedure is used for spinal stenosis where a piece of bone is removed from the spinal canal to release the pressure.

One of London’s best-reviewed spine surgeons, Mr Rajesh has treated thousands of patients with severe middle back pain successfully over the years. He forms a comprehensive middle back pain treatment plan personalised for your requirements. This is a combination of medication, exercises, spine injection and surgery wherever required.

Get in touch with him today. Mr Rajesh and his team would be happy to help you with your middle back pain treatment in London!

Recent Google Reviews of Mr Mangattil Rajesh

JolitaV

Mr Rajesh was excellent and I count myself very fortunate that he is my consultant surgeon. I could not have asked for a more courteous and professional experience. I could not fault anything. Mr Rajesh was very professional he explained everything in detail on all my visits. From initial consultation to post op Mr Rajesh took care of everything.

Dr Bhav Gami

Thank you so much to Mr Rajesh for helping my father when he was an inpatient at the height of the pandemic. Mr Rajesh is an amazing surgeon and was very informative, thorough and professional. Luckily my father was not infected with Covid 19 despite being an inpatient for 6 weeks.

Kemal Ykm

Dr Mangattil Rajesh is my hero he has helped me a great deal with my fractured back after a car accident. My recovery has improved significantly ever since he took on my case with regular consultations and real talk. He knows his stuff so I trust him with every decision we make together Lore Epsom.

SEE ALL GOOGLE REVIEWS

Middle Back Pain Exercises & Stretches

Mild stretches will help loosen your tense middle back muscles. This helps release some pressure on the spine & the nerves, and also strengthens other surrounding muscles to help you move.

It is advisable to take each step gently as any stretches that cause excessive strain can damage your muscles.

Spine surgeon and Consultant Mr Rajesh recommends these 4 quick stretches as the best exercises for relief from middle back pain:

1) Cobra Pose:

Lying flat on your stomach, use your arms to gently & slowly prop up the upper body, stretching the back.

2) Cat-Cow Pose:

Get on your hands and knees and arch your back as far as comfortable (like a cat) looking forward, and exhale slowly. Slowly sink your back toward the ground in a U-shape (like a cow) and inhale. Repeat the steps for at least 10 times.

3) Bridge Pose:

Lie down on your back and bend or fold your knees. Keep your feet flat hip-distance apart on the floor. Take your arms beside your body, and your palms should facing down. Now inhaling, slowly lift your lower back, middle back and upper back off the floor. Now gently roll in the shoulders; touch the chest to the chin without bringing the chin down, supporting your weight with your shoulders, arms, and feet. You will feel your bottom firm up in this pose. Keep both your thighs parallel to each other and to the floor.

Keep breathing normally and slowly. Remember to hold the posture for 30 seconds or one minute, and exhale as you gently release the pose.

4) Seated twist:

Sit cross-legged, slowly twist your upper body to the right, placing your left hand on the right knee for support. Repeat on the other side.

You’ll feel instant relief in your middle back pain after performing these exercises. These middle back pain-relief exercises recommended by Mr Rajesh helps relieve the tension in your mid-back muscles.

As part of your personalised comprehensive middle back pain treatment plan, London back pain specialist Mr Mangattil Rajesh will guide you with more specialised physiotherapy and exercises to get complete relief from middle back pain.

Call Spine Specialist Mr Rajesh at 07956 318 383 today, for your middle back pain treatment in London!

Middle Back Pain after COVID

Middle body aches and pain are also among the most frequently reported symptoms of COVID-19. The middle back is one of the most common places people with COVID-19 report feeling pain. General body aches, muscle pain, or joint pain are common symptoms of COVID-19 and other viral infections. It’s thought that middle back pain too is part of the ‘flu-like’ symptom that is commonly seen in COVID.

Middle back pain often appears in the early stages of the disease, but it can also be a long-haul symptom that persists for weeks or months after infection. Middle back pain can have many possible causes. It’s impossible to know if your middle back pain was caused by COVID-19 unless you also had a positive COVID-19 diagnostic test. COVID-19 infection can stimulate the release of pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines by the viral attack on your immune system.

Middle back pain caused by COVID-19 is often described as a deep pain instead of a sharp or stabbing pain that may accompany a sudden muscular injury. Pain caused by viral infections is also less likely to be eased by changing your posture than the pain caused by muscular injuries.

Some people with COVID-19 develop symptoms that last weeks or months after the original infection. These persistent complications are called long-haul symptoms. Joint & back pain is one of the most common long haul symptoms of COVID-19.

Patients with any concern about their middle back pain should not hesitate to seek evaluation. It is always better to be reassured & start with pain relief measures that will stop the development of any long term pain/damage.

Have you started feeling persistent pain in middle lower back after recovering from COVID-19? Feel free to contact the trusted back pain specialist in London Mr Mangattil Rajesh at 07956 318 383!

Frequently Asked Questions about Middle Back Pain

How do you relieve middle back pain?

Middle back pain can be relieved by the following methods:

Apply ice pack over the middle back area and later apply heat. This will provide immediate relief.
Over-the-counter pain medications, such as ibuprofen and naproxen to reduce swelling and pain.
Stretch and strengthen the back muscles by doing gentle exercises.
Physiotherapy

For rare cases with underlying issues in the spine, spine injections or minimally invasive surgery may be required.

When should I see a doctor for middle back pain?

If your middle back pain is severe and lasts more than two weeks, you should definitely visit your spine doctor. If your middle back pain keeps you from participating in your usual activities, or interrupts your sleep, you should consider seeing a doctor.

If you have symptoms like unexplained weight loss, fever, constant pain, especially at night or when you lie down, you should visit your spine doctor!

How long does middle back pain last?

Most cases of middle back pain will subside within just two to four weeks. Middle back pain is a common problem but it doesn’t usually last long. In rare cases, if the middle back pain is caused by an underlying serious issue in the spine, the pain may last longer or keep recurring.

But there are plenty of treatments that can help treat the middle back pain, to help you stay active and live life to the fullest.

How do I know if my middle back pain is muscle strain or a spine problem ?

One way you can differentiate between muscle pain and pain caused by spine, pain originating in your spine will have a more burning or electric type pain, or your pain may be constant. You may feel a tingling sensation or numbness. With a spinal problem, you may also have pain that “shoots” down your leg or into your buttocks.