Stress and back pain

Emotional stress for most people in the fast-paced, high pressure society in which we live today, seemingly is an unavoidable part of modern life. Stress may be either acute or long-term, and how we perceive and respond to it, will determine how it affects those of us who suffer with back problems. Acute stress may be caused by sudden shock or loss of a loved one; a disagreement with a friend or work colleague or even by driving in peak hour traffic. Long-term stress may be the result of unresolved childhood conflicts which are carried through to adulthood; a fear of failure in business, sport, personal relationships or as a parent; constant financial worries or failure to achieve set goals. Research has shown that long-term stress contributes to as much as 80% of all major illnesses. One of these is back pain.

This raises the question: how does the human body respond to stress?

In responding to stress, there exists a complex of interactive processes between the mind, brain, adrenal glands, nerves and muscles. Our mind perceives that a stressful situation is happening or about to happen; the receptor centres in the brain receive the messages; these are sent as stress signals down the spinal cord via the nerves to the skeletal muscles which support the spine. The muscles suddenly tense and go into spasm and become inflamed. The induced tension causes the formation of pockets of stiffness which impede blood flow and slow healing. If the stress signals continue, so does the pain. In the vast majority of cases, muscle spasm is the major cause of acute pain; particularly the neck, shoulders and lower back. This physiological pain, has in fact, become an expression of mental or emotional stress.

In dealing with acute emotional stress, the brain sends signals to the adrenal glands to secrete the fight or flight hormones adrenalin and noradrenalin into the bloodstream. This reaction causes an increase in blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate and greater tension in the muscles. An increase in the production of proteins, carbohydrates and fats and the utilisation of phosphorous, calcium, potassium and magnesium occur to cope with these reactions. If the stressful situation is not dealt with, or continues to repeat itself, the long-term effect is that these minerals which are stored in nerve and muscle tissue eventually become depleted. The digestion and absorption of all these nutrients from the foods we eat is also affected, and acid can accumulate in the tissues. The body becomes nutritionally deficient, our immune system becomes susceptible, sleep patterns become erratic and so our ability to heal ourselves is greatly affected. Stress also promotes the formation of free radicals that become oxidised and damage body tissues, especially cell membranes.

It is interesting that when we make a positive change in our life, such as a new career or relationship, this is often accompanied by some dramatic changes to our appearance. We tend to stand up so much straighter than before, or walk with a new spring in our step, which alters the tensions in our back as well as our posture. The stoop of depression may disappear, and excessive weight is often lost. All these factors have a positive effect on reducing and preventing back pain.

Stress, tension, worry and anxiety, we often create ourselves. Such feelings, sensations and thoughts are all a part of the human experience of life. When stress disturbs our psychological equilibrium, this has very real physical effects on our biological equilibrium. As individuals, we all respond differently to stress, however, if we can all try to exercise more adequate control of our emotions, we may be able to achieve more control of our back pain.