Is your back pain down to stress

According to a recently published paper, the leading cause of disability worldwide is back pain. The Global Burden of Disease Study found that back pain remains the leading cause of breakdown and many noted physiotherapists believe that there is a definite link between this epidemic and our emotional wellbeing.

Sadly, some therapists can be dismissive of the ties between emotional and physical health but it is becoming increasingly apparent that a patient’s psyche has a lot to do with the pain they feel. For example, if you are a ‘catastrophiser’ – someone who tends to think and prepare for the worst – you are much more susceptible to developing chronic pain.

Renowned physiotherapist and best-selling author Sarah Key explains, “ Now emotional problems, I don’t think cause a back problem out of thin air, I really don’t. But I think they magnify it and I think that if you are a catastrophiser… [it makes it] very hard to get better. ”

International organisations such as the Anxiety and Depression Association of America agree that anxiety is common in people with chronic pain, in particular migraines, back pain, arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Plus researchers are getting closer to determining the biological reason for this association between anxiety and chronic pain. A team at the University of Toronto studied the connections between neurons in a region of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). They found that persistent pain can become chronic because over time, anxiety can intensify pain and strengthen neurons, which become increasingly efficient in transmitting pain signals.

This study will undoubtedly lead to future research about the best way to therapeutically treat chronic pain. Dr Beth Darnell , Stanford University Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Pain Medicine, commented, “ Their results also underscore the importance of non-pharmaceutical psycho-behavioral treatments for chronic pain and also for anxiety. When people learn skills to decrease the physiological markers of anxiety or stress, they are simultaneously treating pain. ”