I have a pain in my back that is very similar to the pain I experienced when I had a neuroma in my foot. I was curious if it may be the same thing.

In theory you can have a neuroma anywhere along a nerve. As there is a nerve along each rib it is possible to have a neuroma in the area you describe, but that would be very unusual.

The sensation and discomfort of a neuroma is fairly distinctive and it is likely that while you are noticing the same sensation it is for a different reason. The sensation of “nerve pain” has more of a burning and tingling sensation than other causes of pain. Sometimes you may have either increased or decreased skin sensitivity in a horizontal band along the chest wall. Nerve pain can also have a very annoying quality. In addition, the usual pain medications do not work well on nerve pain.

If the sensation you are having does not improve, your physician will need to consider other causes of pain of this type. Seeing your physician is especially important if you are having any other unusual symptoms.

If a person has had shingles in this area of the back, he or she can be left with a persistent nerve pain called post-herpetic neuralgia. A sprain or injury to the back might cause discomfort that should improve over time. Among other unusual causes, there is a rare but very real problem called thoracic radiculopathy where the nerve is “pinched” as it exits the spine. Sometimes this is caused by a small bony projection from the rib into the nerve.

Hopefully your symptoms will resolve on their own. Thank you for your question.

Dr. Joshua Rassen

-- Joshua Rassen, MD, is a board-certified internist and geriatrician in northern California. He has a private practice in geriatrics and internal medicine and is the Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at California Pacific Medical Center.

First published March 29, 2005
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