You might think that the heartburn you are experiencing is causing you unbearable pain and irritation. However, you will be surprised to find out that some people who suffer from heartburn experience upper back pain as well. Heartburn and upper back pain are often related. Although there are many possible causes of upper back injury, there is a chance that your upper back pain might be related to your acid reflux problems.
Heartburn is caused by the failure of your esophageal splinter. When your esophageal splinter fails to prevent contents in your stomach from flowing into your esophagus, the acid from your stomach can back flow and cause irritations and a burning pain. Most people who hear that their upper back pain is caused by heartburn find the fact illogical. Let us look at how heartburn can cause upper back pain.
When the acid in your stomach backflows into your esphagus, it stimulates some nerve fibers that causes pain to be radiated through your upper body. This also causes soft tissue damage in the upper back area. Usually, only patients who suffer from severe heartburn experience upper back pain due to this reason.
Soft tissue damage can cause long term pain and disability in severe cases. Apart from accidents, bruises, sports injuries and pulled muscles, you can also suffer from soft tissue damage through severe heartburn. Mild heartburn patients rarely suffer from upper back pain as the amount of acid back flowing into the esophagus might be minimal.
Habits can also cause injuries. In many cases, people who suffer from heartburn develop a habit of sleeping with their heads in an elevated position. While sleeping flat, there is less gravitational resistance to prevent the acid from back flowing into the esophagus. As a result, sleeping with your head in an elevated position might help you feel less discomfort. However, sleeping in such a posture will cause upper back pain in the long run.
If you are suffering from both heartburn and upper back pain, you should take notice of your body posture. In some circumstances, back pain might pose to be a greater problem as compared to heartburn.
