Back Pain? Maybe It’s Stress!

Does your back hurt? Most people experience back pain to one extreme or another and from only occasionally to having a chronic and consistent problem that bothers them every moment of every day.

The causes of back pain are varied and probably as personal as the pain itself, but there are also many common causes of back pain that people experience, from disk problems to arthritis to small stresses and injuries. For some however the cause of their back pain may actually be stress. How so?

Mental and emotional stress can take quite a toll on the body. If you’re stressed because of anxiety, remember that the body is not meant to be kept at high alert for any length of time. When you’re anxious the brain is working overtime to assess what it perceives as a threat and the heart may be pounding harder to produce more blood which it sends to the muscles in case of a confrontation.

Those muscles also react to stress and anxiety by tensing up, readying for that possible confrontation. When they’re tense for any length of time, these muscles soon become very painful. Think of what happens if you keep your fist clenched around anything for more than a moment or so – that fist soon starts to ache!

All of this applies to the back muscles as well. When you’re stressed, anxious, frustrated, angry, irritated, or feeling negative emotions of any type you might find that you also have some pain in your back. This is because those muscles are tensing up in case there’s a confrontation. If those muscles are kept tense for any length of time, there will be pain. Muscles that are tense cannot get proper blood and oxygen flow and are working harder and for a longer period of time than they’re meant to be worked.

Stress can have a negative impact on the body in many ways. It can cause heart problems, shortness of breath, and even serious conditions such as shingles or high blood pressure. But it can also cause extreme back pain. So if you have pain in your back and also know that you’re stressed, anxious, or frustrated, it’s time to take a step back and work at relaxing. Force yourself to breathe deeply and do whatever else might help to calm you, such as soak in a hot bath or go out with some friends. No stress in the world is worth having a pain in the back!