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Upper back pain when breathing can be caused by muscle strain, spinal stenosis, lung inflammation, or serious conditions such as lung cancer, lupus, sarcoidosis, or cystic fibrosis. Treatment depends on the underlying cause and should be sought if symptoms persist.
Having pain in your upper back when breathing can be scary, but the good news is that it doesn’t always signal a serious medical problem. Indeed, the underlying problem is often a muscle injury. Spinal stenosis is another possibility, involving the ligaments and bones of the spine putting pressure on nerves in the area, although lung cancer can have similar symptoms. Pleurisy, or inflammation of the lungs, can also be the cause of pain in the upper back when exhaling and inhaling. It can also be the result of a temporary illness, such as pneumonia, or more serious ailments, such as lupus.
Breathing is an activity that engages certain muscles in the back, which is why pain in the upper back when breathing is often a sign of muscle strain or pain. The muscles of the upper back can be injured, although the muscles of the lower back, abdomen and diaphragm are also often affected with each breath. Each breath can cause a spasm in the muscle, which is why injuries to the muscles in this area can be so hard to bear. Fortunately, the problem should go away once the muscle heals.
Some people who experience this type of pain when breathing may have spinal stenosis, in which ligaments and bones put pressure on nerves near the spine. To eliminate this problem, it is usually necessary to remove some of the bones and ligaments in question. While this is usually not a life-threatening problem, lung cancer often has the same symptoms, especially when a nearby tumor grows large enough to create pressure in the back. Additionally, lung cancer can spread to the bones in the back, causing upper back pain, which is why patients should typically see a doctor soon after the discomfort begins.
In some cases, upper back pain when breathing is caused by lung inflammation, often called pleurisy since the lining over the lungs is called the pleura. The pain of pleurisy often results from an inflamed pleura or a reduction in fluid that’s meant to lubricate the lungs, which hurts with every breath. Some of the more common reasons behind lung inflammation include pneumonia and tuberculosis, which can typically be treated with prescription medications.
Unfortunately, some causes of upper back pain when breathing come from serious chronic conditions. These include autoimmune disorders such as lupus, which is a lifelong condition that usually presents with far more severe symptoms than just back pain when breathing. Other serious disorders that can cause upper back pain when inhaling and exhaling include sarcoidosis and cystic fibrosis, which require diagnosis and treatment by a doctor as soon as possible.
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