THORACIC SPINE
The Spine is made of Bones called Vertebrae and soft cushion between these vertebrae called the disc. The spine is surrounded by muscles and nerves. The spine can be divied into 3 parts – Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar. Most of the adults would have 24 Vertebrae – 7 in the Cervical Spine, 12 in the Thoracic Spine and 5 in the Lumbar Spine. This makes Thoracic Spine the biggest of them all. The thoracic spine supports the rib cage and protects vital organs like heart and lung.
The Thoracic Spine does not move much when you bend or twist and is therefore less prone to problems like pain as compared to the Cervical Spine and the Lumbar Spine. If there is persistent pain in the upper mid back then it could be due to injury or overuse of the muscles, ligaments or the discs. Most of the spinal problems arise due to poor posture and lack of exercise of the back muscles. A herniated disc or vertebral fracture can also be the cause of pain in the upper mid back region. It could be a dull, burning or sharp shooting pain. Sometimes the symptoms can be more serious like weakness or numbness in the arms or the legs or loss of bladder control. In such situations you should see a spine specialist at the earliest.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
When you first land up in the OPD of a spine specialist, you would get a thorough physical examination. Most of the cases of mid back pain can be correctly diagnosed by clinical evaluation. Some cases would require investigations like X-Rays or MRI Scan. The MRI of Thoracic or Dorsal Spine is the gold standard for diagnosing all the problems in this region specially nerve compression. There could be other problems in the dorsal region like a tumour. All things become amply clear in an MRI Scan.
Most of the cases of the mid back pain can be treated with rest, medications and physiotherapy and surgery is rarely required. Long term relief from mid back pain can be achieved only through the strengthening of the para spinal muscles.
A lot of people think that stress affects only the brain. This is not true as stress is classified into mental and physical stress. When you have overused your body, the physical stress in the body can cause pain in the spinal region. Rest, massage, hot and cold packs do a lot of good in relieving the stress in the spine. Good posture, regular exercise, yoga and meditation are also great in giving you a strong pain free back.
COST OF TREATMENT
The cost of any treatment is quite less if the treatment is done at the early stage of the disease. So if you experience a sharp pain in the mid back region or pain radiating into the arms and legs, immediately book an appointment with Dr. Sudeep Jain who is considered as one of the top spine specialist in India. The clinic is located at Naraina Vihar. The cost of consultation is Rs. 1500. Other costs associated with the treatment of Mid Back Pain could be in the form of diagnostic tests like X-Rays which would cost in the range of Rs. 600-900. If MRI of the Thoracic Spine is required it would cost another Rs. 6000 – 7000. Normally no other tests are required for the diagnosis of the cause of mid back pain.
The cost associated with the treatment of thoracic pain is mostly in the form of physiotherapy sessions. Most of the patients would typically require 6-8 sessions of physiotherapy to start on the path of recovery. The cost for 6-8 physio sessions would be Rs. 3000 – 4000 depending upon the modalities used for pain relief.
Do not let back pain take control of your life. Do regular exercise to strengthen your back muscles and always have the spine to face the challenges of this world.
