Mid-back pain is also called as thoracic pain or upper back pain. It occurs at the back of the chest and is much less common than lower back pain. It may occur due to poor posture, muscle strain, improper lifting and bending, physical inactivity, sports injury, trauma in a car accident, cancer or an autoimmune disease.
It generally has a simple musculoskeletal origin and can be managed at home with rest, over the counter pain medicines, heat or ice pack and exercise. Treatment is required if the pain gets worse and interferes with your daily activities.
It can be treated non-surgically through chiropractic approach. Chiropractic approach relieves pain by balancing the structure and function of the spine through spinal manipulation and by promoting self-healing. Spinal manipulation involves moving the joint beyond its usual motion by applying high velocity short arm thrust to the abnormal vertebra to relieve pain and improve functionality of the back. Often a popping or cracking sound is heard when the spinal manipulation is done by the chiropractic doctor. As the ribs are connected to the mid-back spine, manipulation of the ribs may also be done to relieve mid-back pain.