Shoulder Pain Care in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland

The most common causes of upper back pain are muscular irritation (myofascial pain) and joint dysfunction. There can be an injury to a disc in the upper back (such as a thoracic herniated disc or degenerated disc) that causes upper back pain, but such injuries are very rare.

It is important to note that the thoracic spine (also called upper back, middle back, or mid-back) is very different in form and function than the cervical spine (neck) or the lumbar spine (lower back).