Thoracic back pain is joint throughout life but is not as well studied as neck or low back pain. Thoracic back pain is more often due to spinal severe pathology than neck or low back pain but thoracic back pain is also prevalent among healthy individuals without any serious underlying cause.

In children and adolescents, thoracic back pain is associated with:

• Female gender
• Postural changes associated with backpack use
• Back weight
• Musculoskeletal symptoms, participation in specific sports
• Chair height at school
• Difficulty with homework
• Poorer mental health

In adults, thoracic back pain is associated with:

• Concurrent other musculoskeletal symptoms
• Difficulty in performing activities of daily living
• Lower-grade male white-collar workers were more likely to report TSP than male workers in other occupational categories
• Upper-grade female white-collar and professional workers were more likely to report TSP

Thoracic back pain occurs:

• As a result of trauma or sudden injury
• Through strain or poor posture over time
• From inflammatory, degenerative, metabolic, infective, and neoplastic conditions
• From conditions such as primary and secondary osteoporosis (especially vertebral fractures and hyperkyphosis arising from vertebral bone loss), ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, and Scheuermann’s disease

The most common cause of thoracic back pain appears to originate from:

• Muscular irritation
• Lack of strength
• Poor posture
• Prolonged sitting at a computer
• Using a backpack 
• Overuse injuries (such as repetitive motion), or
• Trauma (such as a whiplash injury caused by a car accident or as a result of a sports injury)