Back pain is one of the most serious and common health conditions in the world. Of all the different types of burning upper back pain that one can suffer from, chest and upper back pain is definitely one of the most severe and intense of all. Because the pain is in your upper back area and your chest, it can often feel so strong that it feels as though you can’t breathe.

The Details

Before you try to decide on any type of treatment, and even before you go to the doctor, it will really be helpful for you to learn more about chest and upper back pain in general. First let’s talk about the most common risk factors for chest and upper back pain, which includes: smoking, obesity, older age, female gender, physically strenuous work, and stress.

Next is learning about the different possible causes of your back pain, and there are quite a few possibilities here. More than anything, back pain most often occurs from strained muscles and ligaments from improper or heavy lifting. Structural problems also often play a role in causing chest and upper back pain.

A few of the other most common causes of back pain are bulging or ruptured disks, sciatica, arthritis, skeletal irregularities, and osteoporosis.

Diagnosis

Before you or your doctor will be able to determine which treatment is going to be best for you, tests will need to be performed and a proper diagnosis will have to be made. Although diagnostic tests are usually not necessary to confirm the cause of a person’s back pain, they are helpful to give the doctor more details on the condition.

Treatment

Treatment is obviously one of the most important aspects to chest and upper back pain, and there are a few different options available here. Medication is often the first treatment suggested, especially for the more persistent and severe cases.

Even if your case is particularly severe, remember to stay positive and remember that there are some terrific treatments. If your doctor does put you on medication, you need to realize that this is never a long-term solution. Medication will only relieve your pain and cover up your other symptoms, so you are going to need to figure out the root cause of your problem and deal with this if you want to get rid of your back pain once and for all.