Thoracic Pain Specialist

Thoracic Pain services offered in Cumming, Dahlonega, and Dawsonville GA

Thoracic pain comes from your upper back and ribs. It’s less common than lower back (lumbar) or neck (cervical) pain, but it’s a significant problem for those experiencing it. If you have thoracic pain, visit the board-certified specialists at Cleaver Medical Group Interventional Pain. At their offices in Dahlonega, Dawsonville, and Cumming, Georgia, they offer expert diagnosis and advanced thoracic pain treatments. Call Cleaver Medical Group Interventional Pain today or book an appointment online to benefit from long-term thoracic pain reduction.

Thoracic Pain Q&A

What is thoracic pain?

Thoracic pain affects the upper back between the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) regions. The thoracic spine is far less flexible than the neck and lower back. Its primary role is to protect your internal organs and stabilize your spine.

For this reason, conditions affecting the connective tissues, muscles, nerves, and discs don’t happen as often as they do in the lower back and neck.

What causes thoracic pain?

Some likely causes of thoracic pain are:

Osteoarthritis
Herniated discs
Degenerative disc disease
Spinal stenosis (narrowed spinal canal)
Scoliosis (abnormal spinal curvature)
Vertebral compression fractures
Rib fracture pain syndrome
Post-mastectomy pain syndrome
Thoracic radiculopathy (pinched nerves in the upper back)

Another cause of thoracic pain is intercostal neuralgia. This is pain coming from the intercostal nerves in your spinal cord, below the ribs. Irritation or compression of the intercostal nerves causes inflammation and pain in the thoracic region.

Intercostal neuralgia can be caused by chest trauma, postherpetic neuralgia (a complication of shingles), or trapped nerves. Some patients develop intercostal neuralgia after thoracotomy surgery (post-thoracotomy pain). Thoracotomy involves opening your chest to access your lungs, which can damage the intercostal nerves.

How is thoracic pain treated?

The Cleaver Medical Group Interventional Pain team might begin your thoracic pain treatment with medication, rest, and physical therapy. If these initial treatments aren’t helping or your thoracic pain is severe, your doctor might recommend further treatments. They offer cutting-edge interventions, including:

Epidural steroid injections

Steroid injections have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect that can reduce pain for several months.

Nerve blocks

Nerve blocks are injections containing a local anesthetic that thoroughly numbs the area. Cleaver Medical Group Interventional Pain uses medial branch blocks and intercostal nerve blocks to treat thoracic pain.

Radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation destroys the nerves transmitting pain messages from the thoracic spine to your brain.

Neurostimulation

Neurostimulation uses electrical impulses to prevent pain messages from getting to the brain. Treatment involves having a peripheral nerve or spinal cord stimulator implanted under your skin. You control the device’s signal strength, increasing it when your pain worsens.

You might need an intrathecal pain pump if nothing else reduces your thoracic pain. This is another implantable device that delivers a consistent dose of medication directly to the painful area.

Call Cleaver Medical Group Interventional Pain today or book an appointment online for expert thoracic pain treatment.