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There’s a disc that acts as a shock absorber as well as a multitude of muscles and ligaments. T he nerve begins as the thoracic spinal nerve and then continues all the way around to the front of the chest as the intercostal nerve. There is a spinal nerve that exists in this area at each vertebra. First, there are facet joints where the two vertebrae meet. There’s an immense amount going on in the thoracic spine.

This is often why patients experience pain when taking a deep breath. In addition, the thoracic vertebrae act as pivot points for the ribs as you breathe in and out. And because they’re connected, what happens in one is often felt in the other. These two structures both constrain and define which movements are possible by the other. What’s unique is that the ribs attach here to the thoracic vertebrae. Its bones (vertebrae) are numbered 1-12 and the abbreviation ‘T” is used for “thoracic.” Hence, “T6” means the sixth thoracic vertebra (1). The thoracic spine is between the neck (cervical) and the low back (lumbar). Sometimes specific motions or activities will make this better or worse. Movement usually leads to intense pain or makes it feel like something is “out of place” and needs to be popped back in place. There is also upper-back pain that often accompanies this pain. Basically, the pain wraps around the back of the rib - generally at least to the side and at times all the way to the front.

While many physicians are comfortable treating and diagnosing neck and low back problems when it comes to things like pain around the ribs and back symptoms, they draw a blank.įirst, let’s define what we mean by pain around the ribs and back. The thoracic spine and ribs are like a no man’s land for many physicians, including spine experts.