Management of Sudden Middle Back Pain

Sudden middle back pain can be caused by various situations and conditions that include sudden injury or trauma, or it can be caused by poor posture, straining of the muscles in the back, and degenerative conditions that will be focused on.

Regarding poor posture, in recent years many people who do desk work or work on computers have been complaining of upper and middle back pain. These complaints have usually also been associated with the development of pain in the neck and shoulders.

Middle back pain treatment protocols include prescribing pain medications such as paracetamol and anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and naproxen to individuals with this problem. If the pain persists, then conservative measures such as physical therapy, massage therapy, and even acupuncture have been shown to be clinically effective in releasing the tension in the muscles that are causing the pain.

If the middle back pain is caused by trauma or injury, then further investigations need to be performed to assess the anatomy of the affected area. This needs to be done to rule out fractures in any of the bones of the spine (vertebrae), as well as any possible nerve involvement or entrapment caused by a bulging or ruptured disk between the vertebrae. Surgical interventions may be necessary if conservative treatments don’t work or if the condition causing the pain is severe, and this option will be explained further.

Baastrup’s disease

Baastrup’s disease, or syndrome, is a condition of the middle spine where the soft tissues between the vertebrae degenerate and allow the bony aspects of the bones to be in contact with each other. This condition may cause the affected individual to experience pain in the middle pack, decreased mobility of the spine, and a numb sensation in the back which can refer to the limbs. Baastrup’s disease occurs commonly in the elderly but it has also been reported in younger patients. Once the diagnosis of the condition is confirmed through imaging investigations such as CT and MRI scans, the patient’s doctor will then start to formulate an individualized treatment plan.

The initial management of Baastrup’s disease is similar to the way other non-emergent causes of middle back pain are managed, including the mentioned oral medications and physical therapy, etc. It should be pointed out that these therapies help to relieve the symptoms associated with the condition but don’t correct the underlying cause of the problem. If nerve entrapment is involved, then a neurosurgeon will have to treat the problem through surgical interventions.

Spinal surgery may sound like a very invasive procedure but nowadays neurosurgeons perform minimally invasive procedures which decrease the chance of infection and speed up recovery. The latter allows for a shorter hospital stay as well as allowing the patient to get back on their feet quicker and being physically active to be able to perform their normal daily activities. This means that there is a reduced risk of possible complications which results in a decrease in the morbidity and mortality rates of patients.