How do emotions affect our backs?
It’s no secret that our emotions affect our bodies. When we are not well on a mental and emotional level our bodies suffer the consequences through pain apparently without medical explanation.
Back pain is one of the most common conditions besides headache. This pain can have different origins, from bad posture to kidney problems, osteoporosis and disc degeneration. However, one of the most important factors that we often overlook is emotional health.
The back is one of the main areas affected by our emotional instability.
There is a relationship between the mind and the body. Especially emotions have a complex impact on the bone structure of the spine, joints and nerves. Factors such as stress or anxiety cause minor changes in these structures that gradually lead to inflammation, coordination problems and pain-related episodes that diminish our quality of life.
Your intense back pain may be related to your emotions…
The back not only bears our physical burdens, but also the emotional ones. Back pain, especially chronic pain, influences our entire routine. When it is not treated, sooner or later it limits us and leads us to slouch. But if we suspect that the origin of this pain is an emotional burden, we must assume beforehand that emotions are not cured by medication.
So no matter how many muscle relaxants and pain relievers you take, the pain will still be there. Back pain is a great companion for people suffering from depression or anxiety. When people have chronic back pain, they visit several health care specialists, take medication on an ongoing basis, but ignore the mental and emotional health specialists.
Sometimes, a visit with a psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist can relieve back pain that the more powerful pain reliever could not. An article published in Psychology Today points out that emotional pain, injuries to the heart, often manifest themselves in the body through back pain, headaches, and even digestive problems.
So, your back pain may be emotional, but how do you deal with it? Some therapists recommend biofeeding, a practice that allows improvement through awareness of some factors, such as blood pressure, heart rate or muscle tension.
On the other hand, psychologists recommend cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps us better understand our thoughts, care for our emotions, and develop the behaviors that are best for us. And in addition, a nutritionist will probably recommend increasing your intake of foods rich in vitamin B. While other alternative specialists will point out the importance of using music and smells to learn how to take the pain out of our focus.
The path to the solution is different in each case, but the most important thing is to learn to recognize the problem. So you know, watch your emotions! It may be all you need for better physical and mental health.