The most common causes of upper back pain are unknown but theorized to originate from muscular irritation, intervertebral discs, spinal facet joints, ribs or soft tissue (e.g. ligament/fascia) problems. Commonly intra-scapular pain is referred from the lower cervical spine. Contributing factors to injury include; lack of strength, poor posture, overuse injuries (such as repetitive motion), or a trauma (such as a car accident or sports injury). Often thoracic pain can be aggravated twisting, side bending and with prolonged bent spinal postures. A compression fracture of the vertebra can also cause acute and/or chronic pain in the upper back. Trauma may cause a fracture, but in women over age 50 without significant trauma or someone known to have osteoporosis, a spontaneous vertebral compression fracture is possible. Other, less common causes of thoracic back pain include a spinal disc herniation which often may have radicular pain (wrapping around the ribs associated with numbness and burning pain), spinal tumors and rib fractures may mimic thoracic pain/radicular pain. Other possible sources of referral pain into the thoracic region include visceral organs like: lungs, gallbladder, stomach, liver duodenum, pleura and cardiac.<unk>  has long been considered a "red flag" to alert healthcare professionals to the possibility of cancer (metastasis or spread to the spine). This is not a sensitive or specific phenomenon and can therefore not be relied upon in isolation. Risk factors Thoracic spinal pain is associated with: concurrent musculoskeletal pain; growth and physical; lifestyle and social; backpack; postural; psychological; and environmental factors. Specific risk factors identified in adolescents included age (being older) and poorer mental health.
Middle back pain
Low back pain
Pelvic girdle pain
Back pain
Radicular pain
Cervical weakness
Xiphodynia
Pelvic pain