Low Back Pain and Stress

Back pain can be acute, chronic or both. It is one of the most common symptoms in the body. Injury is obviously one of the causes of back pain. However, muscles, ligaments and tendons along with other cells in the body are controlled and commanded by the nervous system. What does or does not happen neurologically, determines what happens with function in the body. A person can experience pain due to stress. For example, a common pattern of low back pain I see frequently is when an individual is under constant stress. The chronic stress will overstimulate the adrenal glands. These glands are our fight or flight glands. They sit on our kidney’s under the last ribs in the back. When they become overtaxed, a set of reactions can occur. They over secrete hormones such as, cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine. These hormones can cause an increase in inflammation in the body and usually do. It makes the low back muscle rigid, tight and go into spasm. This ‘stressed’ tendon will eventually lead to the body trying to compensate. For instance, in the pelvis with a persons walk or gate. If the rigidity becomes too much or goes on too long, a person can then get swollen disks, strained and sprained muscles, and inflamed nerves in this region.
So the treatment is not only to treat the symptom area but to reduce the stress in the person’s body systemically so as to disengage the overstimulated nervous system. Acupuncture is extremely effective at this and will facilitate a positive change quickly.
Be & Live Well,
Edward