Mid Back and Rib Pain Treatment in Sulphur Springs, TX

Pain between the shoulder blades or a sharp catch along a rib can make it hard to sit, sleep, twist, or even take a deep breath. Mid back pain is common at every age (Briggs et al., 2009), and most of it comes from joints and muscles that respond well to care.

First, a safety note. Chest pain can be a sign of a heart problem, even when the chest is tender to touch. If you have new or unexplained chest pain, please seek medical advice first so a doctor can rule out anything serious.

Common causes

  • Posture strain. Long hours at a desk, on a phone, or driving can leave the mid back tight and achy.

  • Stiff joints. The mid back joints can get stuck and sore, often with a sharp spot when you twist.

  • Rib joint irritation. The ribs attach to the spine at small joints that can get irritated, causing sharp pain with breathing, coughing, or turning.

  • Costochondritis. Tenderness where the ribs meet the breastbone in front. It is common and usually harmless.

  • Muscle strain. A strain between the ribs or along the spine after lifting, twisting, or coughing hard.

What helps

Adjustments have been shown to help people with mid back pain improve more than a fake treatment (Schiller, 2001). People seen in a hospital for chest pain caused by muscles and joints did better at 4 and 12 weeks with chiropractic care than with self care advice alone (Stochkendahl et al., 2012). Dry needling can safely reach the deep muscles along the spine, and there are good reasons it may help (Fernández-de-las-Peñas et al., 2015).

How we can help

We never rely on one treatment alone. Adjustments, hands-on care, and needling turn a stiff, guarded back into soft clay, and the exercises afterward help mold it into a back that moves and holds up well. Your plan may include:

Common questions

Is my rib "out of place"? Ribs rarely pop out. More often, a rib joint is irritated and stiff, and it usually calms down with care.

Why does it hurt to breathe? Every breath moves the rib joints. When one is irritated, a deep breath or cough can cause a sharp catch.

Can mid back pain cause neck or shoulder pain? Yes. A stiff mid back can add strain to the neck and shoulders, so we often treat them together.

When to seek emergency care

Call 911 or seek emergency care if you have chest pain or pressure, especially with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, or pain spreading to your arm, jaw, neck, or back. Also seek emergency care for sudden trouble breathing, coughing up blood, rib pain after a fall or car crash, weakness, numbness, or trouble walking, new changes in bladder or bowel control, fever, or a painful rash with blisters on one side of your chest.

Book a visit

If your mid back or ribs are keeping you tense and tight, we would be glad to help you move and breathe easier. Book Online or call 903-629-5126.

Pacheco Spine and Sport, 1067 Gilmer Street, Suite C, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482.

This page is for general education and is not a substitute for a personal medical exam.

Sources

Briggs, A. M., Smith, A. J., Straker, L. M., & Bragge, P. (2009). Thoracic spine pain in the general population: Prevalence, incidence and associated factors in children, adolescents and adults. A systematic review. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 10, 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-10-77

Fernández-de-las-Peñas, C., Layton, M., & Dommerholt, J. (2015). Dry needling for the management of thoracic spine pain. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 23(3), 147-153. https://doi.org/10.1179/2042618615Y.0000000001

Schiller, L. (2001). Effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy in the treatment of mechanical thoracic spine pain: A pilot randomized clinical trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 24(6), 394-401. https://doi.org/10.1067/mmt.2001.116420

Stochkendahl, M. J., Christensen, H. W., Vach, W., Høilund-Carlsen, P. F., Haghfelt, T., & Hartvigsen, J. (2012). Chiropractic treatment vs self-management in patients with acute chest pain: A randomized controlled trial of patients without acute coronary syndrome. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 35(1), 7-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2010.11.004