What Causes Pain In The Upper Mid Back?

Posted on Thu, 31 Aug 2017

Question: Just prior to exercising last night I began to feel pain in the center of my upper back. I took advil and it subsided, I then proceeded to play 3 sets of doubles tennis. I woke up this morning and am still feeling this tightness/pain. Is this potentially the sign of a heart issue? If I take advil and it goes away, at least for awhile, does that mean it is not heart related? Thanks

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!

Regarding your concern, I would explain that your symptoms are not typical of a cardiac disorder.

The fact that the pain improved by ibuprofen is another argument which excludes a cardiac issue. A musculo-skeletal pain seems to be the most probable cause of your complaints.

So, just relax and don't worry about it!

I would recommend having some rest and avoid straining physical activity in the next days! Correcting your posture is also necessary.

If the pain persists, I would recommend performing a cervico-thoracic column X ray study and a chest X ray study.

Some blood lab tests (complete blood count, PCR, ESR) would help investigate for inflammation.

Hope you will find this answer helpful!

Kind regards,

Dr. Iliri

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar