Chronic upper back pain might not only be a result of poor posture or injury, but could be caused by chronic gastritis, a clinical gastroenterologist said.
A man in his 40s, surnamed Chang (張), had been experiencing mild upper back pain between his shoulder blades for the past six months, but had not had a back injury and his symptoms did not worsen or improve through stretching, Shu-Tien Clinic gastroenterologist Kang Pen-chu (康本初) said.
Chang did not seek medical attention for the condition, but received a health examination at the clinic, where he was diagnosed with chronic gastritis, Kang said, adding that the man’s upper back pain was actually referred pain caused by the gastritis.
Nerves of the digestive organs partially overlap with those of the upper back, so although the most common symptom of stomach diseases is abdominal pain, they can also trigger pain in the upper back, Kang said.
Some people even perceive the back pain as more severe than the abdominal pain, he added.
“The referred pain from stomach disorders usually occurs in between the shoulder blades in the central or upper back,” he said. “The referred pain of gallbladder disease can occur at the right shoulder, while the referred pain of the pancreas can occur at the center of the back.”
Muscle pain can usually be relieved through rehabilitation, doing stretches or after getting some rest, and the pain might worsen when pressing on certain points of the muscle, Kang said.
However, referred pain does not have these characteristics and might worsen when eating spicy food or drinking coffee or alcoholic beverages, which are more stimulating to the digestive organs, he added.
The main treatment for chronic gastritis is medication and making adjustments to daily habits, including eating a healthier diet with less fat, sugar, sodium and processed food, and avoiding smoking, drinking and stress, Kang said, adding that if chronic upper back pain does not subside after stretching the muscles or resting, people should consider having a health checkup to find other likely causes.
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