My thoracic mri shows protruding disc impinging and flattening the left ventral cord with diffuse spinal atrophy from t4 - t9. i have upper-mid back pain, cannot sit. what does mri indicate?

See neurosurgeon!: I am concerned with the MRI findings. You have compression on the spinal cord which could be new. You also have the area of atrophy which is a more chronic condition. Seek out an excellent neurosurgeon to determine if you need more testing or surgery. Good luck.

Back Pain: This sounds like a herniated disc and/or degenerative disc disease which can cause severe back pain especially while sitting. This is more common in the lumbar spine but can be present anywhere in the spine. You should definitely have your MRI looked at by a spine specialist.