What are the causes of thoracic spine pain? First of all, the thoracic spine is comprised with 12 vertebrae which are separated by discs and attached laterally to the ribs. There are different conditions that can create varying degrees and types of pain in the thoracic spine. Few of which are life threatening.

Sprains are the most common, least serious but sometimes the most painful. Tumors are the least common, most serious but sometimes do not generate much pain. This is quite the ironic side of thoracic pain and usually leaves some patients very frustrated especially when they don’t know yet the diagnosis of the pain they are feeling.

Here are the causes of thoracic spine pain:

• Spondylosis – this is the wear and tear type of spinal arthritis. This is common among both genders beyond the age of 45 and it usually involved disc degeneration and bone spur growth. During the early stages of spondylosis in the thoracic spine, it creates an achy stiffness between the shoulder blades and sometimes laterally around the rib cage. Usually, this stiffness is worse in the moning but abates with activity. Later stages of degeneration can irritate the nerve roots and create an intermittent, burning pain.
• Fractures – experiencing deep, dull, constant pain can be caused by fractures. Osteoporosis is the most common cause because o fthe reduced bone density which leads to compression fractures.
• Scoliosis – this is an unnatural lateral curvature of the spine and is the most common in the thoracic region. This usually occurs in adoloscent females and is of unknown cause. Pain from scoliosis can range from nonexistent to severe, depending on the degree of deformity and flexibilitu of the afflicted area. If there is a severe deformity, then thoracic spine pain and tightness can result from simply breathing.
• Sprained joints – this is the most commnon sourse of thoracic spine pain and can be the most severe. There are two types of joints that becomes compressed or misaligned which are the facet joints and the costrovertebral joints. The facet joint is often sharp with restricted movement, whereas costovertebral pain is stabbing or like and ice pick. A severe, left-sided costovertebral sprain can mimic a heart attack in presentation.
• Disc herniation – this can occur in the region of the thoracic but they are not common. Trauma is the most common cause of thoracic herniations. It can irritate nerve roots which can cause a bvurning or shooting electric pains especially around the rib cage.
• Infection – spine infection is a serious disease and this can become life threatening without antibiotics.

These are some of the causes of thoracic spine pain. This will be very helpful for you and can serve as a guide especially if you have scoliosis in adults.

If you have Scoliosis and you are experiencing Scoliosis pain, this may be caused by the physical spinal curvature. Some patients don’t experience any pain from their conditions. A lot of patients who do have pain are actually suffering from psychosomatic symptoms often brought on by the diagnostic nocebo effect of the curvature, rather than the curvature itself.

Having scoliosis in relatively common and the majority of patients have very mild curves that don’t need any treatment whatsoever. Most mild spinal curves will not cause any pain or even be noticeable to the patient or others. For those who have moderate to severe scoliosis, feeling scoliosis pain is very rare but it needs to be monitored. Some severe caused of scoliosis actually do compromise the integrity of the spine and can cause pain in the spinal structures, back muscles or internal organs.

True scoliosis pain from advanced scoliosis should be medically treated and possibly, in a surgical way. It is unfortunate that medical science doesn’t have many options when it comes to scoliosis correction.

Now, let’s move on the psychosomatic scoliosis pain. Out of the minority of scoliosis patients that don’t experience pain, most are suffering from a psychosomatic reaction to the nocebo effect of the diagnosis. This simply means that the patient has been frightened by being diagnosed with scoliosis and the mind takes the opportunity to create painful symptoms based on expectation, rather than biological causation.

This type of pain can’t be treated successfully using drugs or surgery. The only cure for psychosomatic reaction is knowledge therapy. This is the only treatment that treats the actual psychological/emotional cause of the symptoms.

For patients who are complaining of scoliosis pain or feel threatened that they might experience scoliosis pain, it is crucial to reassure a patient about the truth of their scoliosis condition. You have to make sure that they understand that mild to moderate spinal curvature is almost never painful and will not cause any disability. This is very important in young patients and those who have scoliosis in adults that are prone to fear, insecurity and exclusion due to their spinal curves. Parental and peer support can make the difference between a life filled with satisfaction and a life dominated by pain.

Consider all these things before you reassure yourself that you’re feeling scoliosis pain. Keeping in mind all these things will help you be more knowledgeable and will take your worries away.

If you are experiencing pain in your back, you have uneven shoulders and waist, then you might have adult scoliosis. This is an abnormality in the spine that occurs during adulthood or is a continuation of the disease that was undiagnosed or ignored during childhood or adolescence.

Generally, adult scoliosis is idiopathic which means that the cause is unknown. However, there are a few types of scoliosis that occurs in adults like congenital curve, paralytic curve and myopathic deformity.

What is a congenital curve?

This is present at birth and if left undiagnosed, it can worsen in adulthood due to age and weakening of the spine.

What is a paralytic curve?

This may be caused by an injury to the spine.

What is myopathic deformity?

This can result to diseases like polio or cerebral palsy.

Those who have are feeling signs and symptoms are encouraged to visit their doctors. They will be asked to go through a series of tests to determine the diagnosis or to determine scoliosis in adults. Usually, medications are recommended by doctors for pain relief that is brought by scoliosis. It is also recommended to exercise like walking, cycling and swimming. These things will help the body to be fit and maintain a correct posture. These can also counter the deforming effect of scoliosis and it can also help reduce pain.

There are also physical therapists that can help you with your adult scoliosis. They have exercise programs to suit the different needs of patients. Bracing in adults is used to ease pain and discomfort rather than prevent worsening of the curve, while surgery is generally used as the last resort.

A surgery only become essential in adult scoliosis if the spinal curve is greater than 50 degrees and is accompanied by continuous pain. It is also conducted if the curve is increasing as this can cause heart and lung problems. In some cases, deformity caused by the disease necessitates surgery.

To put it in a nutshell, adult scoliosis can be avoided through proper treatment of the disease in its early stages, during childhood or adolescence. The earlier the treatment commences, the lesser will be the pain and discomfort, and chances of surgery. A healthy lifestyle can also alter the occurrence of it during adulthood.

What is scoliosis in adults? This can be explained best by first asking, “What is scoliosis?” Scoliosis is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. It is usually diagnosed in childhood or early adolescence but can also be diagnosed in adulthood. You see, the normal curve of the spine occurs at the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions in the “sagittal” plane. These natural curves position the head over the pelvis and work as shock absorbers to distribute mechanical stress during movement.

If you were diagnosed with scoliosis and you’re already an adult, it is distinctive from childhood scoliosis because the underlying causes and goals of treatment differ from patients who have already reached skeletal maturity.

Scoliosis In Adults Can Be Divided Into Three Categories:

• Adult scoliosis patients who are surgically treated as adoloscents
• Adults who did not receive treatment when they were younger
• Adults with degenerative scoliosis

What Is Degenerative Scoliosis?

This condition occurs frequently in the lumbar spine or the lower back, and it usually affects people aged 65 and older. Oftentimes, it is accompanied by spinal stenosis or narrowing of the spinal canal which pinches the spinal nerves and makes it difficult for them to function normally. The back pain associated with this particular type of scoliosis in adults usually begins gradually and is often linked with activity.

Signs/Symptoms Of Scoliosis:

• Uneven shoulders
• Head is not directly centered above the pelvis
• One or both hips are raised or are unusually high
• Rib cages are at different heights
• Uneven waist
• Appearance or texture of the skin overlying the spine changes like dimples, hairy patches and color abnormalities
• The entire body leans to one side

If your doctor suspects that you have scoliosis after performing a physical examination, he or she will order radiological tests to confirm the diagnosis. For scoliosis in adults, X-rays are often recommended once every 5 years, unless symptoms are getting progressively worse.

There is a 20-year study that states that almost 40% of patients who have scoliosis experienced a progression, 10% showed a very significant progression while the remaining 30% experienced a very mild progression, usually less than one degree per year.

The progression of the curve depends on factors like the age of diagnosis, age and outcome of original treatment, and severity and location of the curvature.

Adults who were treated as children may need revision surgery if they were treated 20-30 years ago. This was before major advances in spinal surgery procedures were implemented.

How Do You Treat Scoliosis In Adults?

• Consult your doctor if you experience the symptoms listed above.
• Go through a series of diagnostic tests to determine if you have scoliosis
• Evaluate your non-surgical treatment options first like moist heat, over-the-counter prescription anti-inflammatory and pain medicines, moderate exercise and physical injection therapies.
• You can consider surgery if the curve is in the middle of your back (thoracic), exceeds 50 degrees and is accompanied by constant pain.
• Review all your treatment options with your doctor to determine the best course of action for your condition.
• Visit your doctor every 5 years to have your condition re-evaluated.