The center of your back extends from the base of your neck to just below your bottom ribs. This area contains many bones and lots of soft tissue that can be a source of pain.
If you have pain in the center of your back, you aren’t alone. Medical research shows that up to 34.8% of people experience middle or thoracic back pain annually. Learning the cause of your middle back pain is essential to effectively treat it. Physical therapists can help you determine the cause of the pain in the center of your back, and they also offer treatment options that can help reduce it.
These five issues can cause pain in the center of your back
Thoracic back pain isn’t as well studied as neck pain and lower back pain, but musculoskeletal system experts can still help you learn the cause of your pain. Fortunately, physical therapists are experts in this system. A few of the issues that your physical therapist could pinpoint as the source of your middle back pain include:
- Strained back muscles.
- Poor posture.
- Pinched spinal nerves.
- Osteoarthritis in the facet joints.
- Myofascial trigger points in middle back soft tissue.
How can your physical therapist treat the pain in the center of your back?
Therapists have many options when it comes to treating middle back pain. Some of the options they commonly use are:
- Trigger point therapy designed to break up myofascial trigger points.
- Soft tissue mobilization that can reduce the risk of scar tissue forming in injured muscles.
- Joint mobilization designed to improve facet joint mobility.
- Aquatic therapy intended to reduce stress on the spine and strengthen spine-supporting muscles.
- Dry needling that can provoke a local twitch response that reduces soft tissue tension and pain.
Excel Sports & Physical Therapy offers treatment for middle back pain
Ready to find effective treatment for pain in the center of your back? Our Excel PT team is ready and willing to help you find the top-notch care you need and deserve. Our specialists can perform a free screening that can reveal the source of your back pain. Additionally, we’re experts at creating personalized therapy plans designed to decrease and prevent back pain. You can even get care for your back pain from home thanks to our at-home care and virtual therapy services.
Contact our team today for more information about all the ways we can help you treat back pain or to schedule an initial appointment.
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