How Stress Causes Back Pain

By Randi Morse

Dealing with chronic back pain can lead one to feel stressed easily. This is because we live such busy lives, we don't have time to stop what we're doing and nurse a painful back. We all deal with stress, but the problem is that it may be that very stress that is causing the back pain. If one of the most common causes of back pain is stress, but having back pain causes more stress, how is a person supposed to get rid of their back pain? How does stress cause back pain, anyway? Is there anything we can do to prevent stress from causing our backs to be in agony?

Stress and Back Pain

In order to understand why your back can get sore from stress, you need to understand how the body reacts under stress. Have you ever heard of the "fight or flight" response? It's your body's way of handling a stressful, or scary, situation. This is exactly what happens when you are dealing with stress and anxiety. If you are anxious about something, or very stressed out, your body goes through the fight or flight response. This means that the muscles in your body tense up in an effort to prepare to run or to fight. Once the extremely stressful situation has passed the body is supposed to go into a relaxation phase, but that doesn't always happen. Some people find themselves constantly in the fight or flight stage, their muscles tensed and ready to flee or fight. 

Your body isn't designed to handle this constant pressure and tension. The tightened muscles can pull on the joints in the body, creating restriction problems which then cause pain. So the more you are stressed, the more your body is tensed. The more your body is tensed, the higher the chances of dealing with a restriction problem, which then causes pain.

Chiropractor and Back Pain

While there are things that you can do to help reduce the stress in your life, if you are already dealing with back pain that has been caused by stress, the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractor are here to help. Your chiropractor can examine your situation and help you determine the best course of action to remedy any restrictions or joint problems that you may have. They may even suggest regular visits to help reduce the effects of stress in your back. At The Joint Chiropractic you will find experienced chiropractors, open office hours and affordable rates, making it no stress to find time to take care of your spinal health.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Reno, Nev.