Upper back pain and neck pain can be related, whether it is from a misalignment in the upper thoracic spine or in the lower cervical spine, because many of the nerves are connected to the same areas of vertebrae and may affect the same areas of the body. Neck pain can be associated with injuries such as whiplash or an acute injury such as a kink in the neck, and it is often caused by a misalignment in the cervical spine. Upper back pain, on the other hand, can also be affected by nerves that extend from the cervical spine, but it is often associated with a misalignment in the thoracic spine (mid back) where the nerves can reach most areas of the upper body.