Thoracic back pain while sitting

I am a 36 yr old female who has had upper back pain while sitting for 7 years now.  The pain is between my shoulder blade and spine on the right side of my mid-upper back.  The only relief is when I lay down.  Walking & standing doesn't cause the pain...only sitting.  Sitting while driving, working, watching TV, riding passenger on a motorcycle, it doesn't matter which chair or what I am doing in it. The pain is so severe, my doctor has me taking morphine which barely provides 4 hours of relief.  My pain mgmt specialist believes it is thoracic degenerative disc disease.  X-rays are normal, though and I am scheduled for an MRI in the future.  The pain is horrible. Heat, ice, physical therapy, anti-inflamatory drugs, shots...nothing helps.  I am desperate for answers.  Please help me!

[nibby]

i, too, have mid-thoracic back pain for the last 10 years, along with low back,worse in the last 15 years, and neck pain, worse in the last 7 years.  I began seeing a neurologist back in 1997, initially for the low back pain and later for the neck and most recently, the mid-back.  MRI's of the lumbar and neck back in 2001, following a head-on collision, revealed a herniated disc at C5-6 with osteophyte complexes there and at C4-5, with degeneration and several bulging discs.  lumbar mri revealed degeneration throughout, along with small herniations at L3-4 and L4-5, as well as bulging discs at T11-12.  most recent mri of the lumbar in 12/2006, due to increasing  pain in the mid-back, increasing digestive problems and pain in the right hip revealed that the T11-12 disc had now herniated.  recent mri of the thoracic in 2007 showed a amaller herniation at T3-4.  I KNOW THAT THE PAIN IN MY MID-thoracic REGION IS RELATED TO THE DEGENERATION AND i THINK the herniations and that some of us are sensitive long before images will show anything, while others can have the same problems and not feelthe same pain.  I am going to inquire about a back brace/support with my PT, because I believe that some sort of added support may help.  I also see a chiropracter who incorporates APPLIED KINESIOLOGY in his treatments and believe that he helps my spine to stay aligned.  i think that the pain you feel is real and there could also be referred pain from frontal organs.  do you have any other iternal symptoms.  i also have numreous digestive and bladder issues.  i also had 2 c-sections, which i think only set the stage for some of these problems in the organs and the spine.  i have been doing extensive research as to finding more answers to my array of problems.  i have been also told i have fibromyalgia, which further complicates the picture/problems.  i wish you good luck and feel to contact me again for more info.
sincerely, nibby

[nibby]

i, too, have mid-thoracic back pain for the last 10 years, along with low back,worse in the last 15 years, and neck pain, worse in the last 7 years.  I began seeing a neurologist back in 1997, initially for the low back pain and later for the neck and most recently, the mid-back.  MRI's of the lumbar and neck back in 2001, following a head-on collision, revealed a herniated disc at C5-6 with osteophyte complexes there and at C4-5, with degeneration and several bulging discs.  lumbar mri revealed degeneration throughout, along with small herniations at L3-4 and L4-5, as well as bulging discs at T11-12.  most recent mri of the lumbar in 12/2006, due to increasing  pain in the mid-back, increasing digestive problems and pain in the right hip revealed that the T11-12 disc had now herniated.  recent mri of the thoracic in 2007 showed a amaller herniation at T3-4.  I KNOW THAT THE PAIN IN MY MID-thoracic REGION IS RELATED TO THE DEGENERATION AND i THINK the herniations and that some of us are sensitive long before images will show anything, while others can have the same problems and not feelthe same pain.  I am going to inquire about a back brace/support with my PT, because I believe that some sort of added support may help.  I also see a chiropracter who incorporates APPLIED KINESIOLOGY in his treatments and believe that he helps my spine to stay aligned.  i think that the pain you feel is real and there could also be referred pain from frontal organs.  do you have any other iternal symptoms?  i also have numreous digestive and bladder issues.  i also had 2 c-sections, which i think only set the stage for some of these problems in the organs and the spine.  i have been doing extensive research as to finding more answers to my array of problems.  i have been also told i have fibromyalgia, which further complicates the picture/problems.  i wish you good luck and feel to contact me again for more info.
sincerely, nibby

[satilla]

I have had thoracic back pain for the last 7 years after having a storage container dropped on my upper neck and shoulder from a height of about 6 to 8 ft. I have been from doctor to doctor seeking help and have found none so far. I have chronic muscles spasms that radiate around my ribs to my breastbone in the front. These spasms can be so severe that I have difficulty breathing on occasion. The pain is unbelieveable at times and the only relief is lying flat on my back or arching my back over stacked pillows. This pain has severely impacted my life as I am no longer able to function without experiencing pain. I can only sit, stand or walk for limited amount of time before the pain sets in. Wearing a bra is painful as it seems to irritate that nerves. I have taken many types of pain meds and muscle relaxants, tried massages, heat, TENS units and nothing works. Good luck-please keep the rest of us posted-any information is much needed!