How Stress Affects Back Pain
The fight or flight response originates from a time when we might be attacked by dangerous predators. When triggered, hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) are released into the bloodstream, the effects of which prepare us to ‘spring into action. The problem is that in modern life, this response is often triggered by things that are not harmful meaning that we can become overwhelmed with stress.
The increased muscle tone caused by the release of our stress hormones results in tension building in our muscles. Most commonly the trapezius and neck muscles. Many people often hold tension in their jaw as well, and may even grind their teeth due to stress.
Tight muscles commonly result in jaw, neck, shoulder and low back pain.
So How Can You Avoid This?
1 - Address Stress
If you are suffering from stress it is very important that you address this. It’s not always possible to avoid stressful situations so try and develop good coping mechanisms, like the ones in this newsletter, to avoid a build up of tension leading to increased pain. If you are concerned about your mental health, or stress levels, there is more information about how to get help here.
2 - Exercise
Exercise is a great way to combat stress and to look after your general wellbeing. If you are experiencing a flare up of symptoms due to stress it might be best to opt for lower impact forms of exercise such as yoga or pilates. High intensity workouts - whilst a fantastic option for many - can result in an increased release of stress hormones, which is exactly what you are trying to combat.
3 - Magnesium Salt
Treat yourself to a bath and add magnesium salt. This is a great remedy for muscle tightness and also has benefits for overall relaxation and sleep. If baths are not your thing, meditation and stretching are great ways to relax your muscles - and so is seeing your chiropractor or coming in for a massage!
4 - Meditation
There are many forms of meditation, the general principle is to focus on your breathing. We recommend trying the ‘body scan’ method where you take time to focus on relaxing individual areas of your body. Work from your head to your toes, or vice versa.
5 - Reduce Your Screen Time
This is a slightly ironic piece of advice given that you are reading this on an electronic device at the moment, but during times of increased stress it can be beneficial to reduce your intake of social media and screen time. This can have benefits for your posture as you spend less time looking down at your phone or laptop and also allows you to focus more on yourself.
6 - Sleep
Sleep is crucial to our wellbeing, yet at least 1/2 of people in the UK report not getting enough! Put into place a nightly routine that works for you, try to go to bed and wake up at consistent times. Implementing a routine can help you to get more and better quality sleep.
We are always here to help!