Start with a symptom
Mid-Back Pain and Pain Wrapping Around the Ribs
The thoracic spine is the part of the back braced by the ribcage. Pain here — between the shoulder blades, or wrapping around the chest or abdomen — has its own set of causes, and each guide below covers one of them. Every guide carries its own list of warning signs; read that section on the guide itself.
7 guides on this page, including 1 condition that mimic spine pain.
This article is general education, not medical advice. It cannot account for your history, imaging, or examination. Talk to a qualified clinician about your own care.
Spine conditions covered here
- Mid-Back
Thoracic Back Pain
Also called: mid back pain, pain between the shoulder blades, upper back pain
Pain in the mid-back region between the shoulder blades and the bottom of the rib cage, most often mechanical but requiring careful screening for serious causes.
Read the full guide - Mid-Back
Thoracic Radiculopathy
Also called: pinched nerve in the mid back, band like pain around the chest, rib pain from a trapped nerve
Irritation or compression of a mid-back nerve root that sends band-like pain wrapping around the chest or abdomen, often mistaken for shingles or a heart problem.
Read the full guide - Mid-Back
Thoracic Disc Herniation
Also called: slipped disc in the mid back, herniated disc in the upper back
A herniated disc in the mid-back (thoracic spine) that can press against the spinal cord, causing pain, leg weakness, or (in severe cases) bowel and bladder changes.
Read the full guide - Mid-BackNeeds prompt medical assessment
Thoracic Stenosis
Also called: narrowed spinal canal in the mid back, spinal stenosis in the upper back
Narrowing of the spinal canal in the mid-back that compresses the spinal cord, causing progressive leg weakness, balance problems, and sometimes bowel or bladder dysfunction.
Read the full guide - Mid-BackNeeds prompt medical assessment
Thoracic Myelopathy
Also called: spinal cord compression in the mid back
Compression of the spinal cord in the mid-back (T1–T12) that causes progressive leg weakness, balance problems, and in advanced cases bowel or bladder dysfunction.
Read the full guide - General
Vertebral Compression Fracture
Also called: collapsed vertebra, spine fracture from osteoporosis, crumbling vertebra
A structural collapse of the vertebral body, most commonly caused by osteoporosis, that produces sudden back pain and, with multiple fractures over time, progressive height loss and spinal deformity.
Read the full guide
Conditions that mimic spine pain
These are problems elsewhere in the body. They are covered in this library because they are commonly mistaken for a spinal cause, and telling them apart changes who you should be seeing.
Common questions
- Is thoracic back pain serious?
- Most mid-back pain comes from muscle strain, poor posture, or irritated facet joints and improves with simple care. Because the thoracic spine also protects the spinal cord and sits near the heart and lungs, doctors treat any new mid-back pain with a bit more caution than lower back pain until serious causes are ruled out.
- How is thoracic radiculopathy different from shingles?
- Both can cause band-like pain around the chest, which is why the two are frequently confused. Shingles typically produces a blistering rash along the same band of skin within a few days, while thoracic radiculopathy has no rash and instead tends to follow episodes of back strain, disc changes, or twisting movements.
- Is thoracic disc herniation common?
- It is relatively uncommon, accounting for roughly one percent of all symptomatic disc herniations, far less than cervical or lumbar disease. Asymptomatic protrusions are detected far more often on routine imaging and, without matching symptoms, do not require treatment on their own.
- Is thoracic stenosis the same as lumbar or cervical stenosis?
- All three involve narrowing of the spinal canal, but the thoracic region is distinct in important ways. The thoracic spinal cord has a naturally tight fit and a tenuous blood supply, making it more vulnerable to even modest narrowing. Rather than the radiating arm or leg pain typical of cervical or lumbar disease, thoracic stenosis tends to produce myelopathy (leg weakness, balance problems, and sometimes bowel or bladder changes) because the cord itself is compressed.
- Can thoracic myelopathy improve on its own?
- Mild cases attributable to early degenerative change may be observed with activity modification and physical therapy, but established myelopathy with significant or worsening deficits rarely reverses without surgery. Conservative measures are generally unable to reverse cord dysfunction once it is present, and decompression is usually required to halt deterioration, which is why early evaluation matters.
- Do vertebral compression fractures heal on their own?
- The natural history of an uncomplicated osteoporotic compression fracture is generally favorable, with pain improving over six to twelve weeks as the fracture consolidates. However, treating the underlying osteoporosis with calcium, vitamin D, and appropriate medications is equally important to reduce the substantial risk of future fractures.
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