Is Your Thoracic Spine Causing Chest Pain?

The thoracic spine is located in your upper and middle back. Problems with your thoracic spine may cause dull or sharp chest pain, as well as chronic pain in your back and ribs. Common causes include chronic poor posture and injury to the thoracic spine.

Thoracic chest pain is a type of referred chest pain, which means the pain originates from a root cause outside of your chest but is felt in the chest area. Thoracic chest pain is a disorder within the  thoracic outlet syndrome  family of disorders.

This kind of chest pain can occur due to slight pressure on the affected area, deep breathing, and movement of the limbs.

Although thoracic chest pain  is clinically rare , it is a serious problem for the few who experience it. In fact, it is common for patients to mistake it for a heart attack. Treatment is a must for anyone who has to deal with thoracic chest pain — especially targeted chiropractic care.

Below you’ll find all you need to know about thoracic chest pain, the root causes, and the best treatments.

Different Kinds of Chest Pain

Chest pain (angina) can take several forms, depending on the root cause of your chest pain. These are the different kinds of chest pain:

• Dull, aching chest pain:  A dull ache in your chest may be caused by a bruise or even muscle strain around your ribs.
• Burning chest pain:  The feeling of burning in your chest is most typically a sign of gastrointestinal conditions like heartburn or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).
• Sharp, stabbing chest pain:  This sharp or stabbing discomfort when you breathe could mean a lung condition like pneumonia, pleurisy, pulmonary embolism, or COPD is causing chest pain, as well as shortness of breath. Sharp pain in your ribs could also indicate  costochondritis  (also known as fibromyalgia chest pain, Tietze’s syndrome, costosternal syndrome, or anterior chest wall syndrome).
• Extreme pain under rib:  This localized chest pain may indicate gallstones in your gallbladder. Gallstones usually impact the  right  side of your chest.
• Crushing chest pain:  This potentially life-threatening type of chest pain indicates a heart attack, pericarditis, or heart disease. Heart attack is accompanied by tightness or discomfort in the chest, arm, back, neck, stomach or even jaw. A panic attack could also produce symptoms of a heart attack.

All of the above types of chest pain can be caused by a pinched nerve in your thoracic spine.  It’s vital to rule out serious conditions like heart attack, but  few conventional doctors identify  and treat the root cause of thoracic spine dysfunction after heart disease is ruled out.

What is the most common type of chest pain?  The most common type of chest pain is probably dull bruise pain or burning sensation caused by GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).