No matter which North Shore physiotherapy clinic you walk into, the Physio Connect team will tell you that the treatment of back pain is one of the most common services we provide. We think it would be the same at physio clinics all across the country, and right around the globe for that matter. Back pain is so widespread that we wouldn’t be surprised if it is the most commonly complained about health condition in the world.
Fortunately, health professionals like us are able to use a range of physical treatments and techniques to alleviate back pain. But to keep that pain away, maybe you require a mental readjustment as well as a physical one?
There is enough research to virtually confirm that back pain is often stress-related. Some people manifest stress in their minds, and just as many manifest it physically. The physical reaction to stress might be negligible at first but it is significant enough to eventually cause a lot of pain. When stress is apparent in a physical sense, it causes us to tighten our muscles, particularly those around our shoulders and down our spine. The tension of these lower back muscles causes us to feel considerable amounts of pain, and this condition has a name: Tension Myositis Syndrome.
Tension Myositis Syndrome is a condition that can create something of a vicious cycle. People who are stressed will feel pain. In turn, this affects their mood and makes them less inclined to be active. But this reduced movement causes their muscles to weaken and tighten further, which only leads to more pain. If that’s not enough, worrying about that pain can cause people to become even more stressed than they already are – which results in even more pain.
So, if back pain is something you’ve lived with for a long time, there might be more to it than a physical cause. If you’re under pressure at work, or if ongoing family dramas are bringing you down, or some other issue might have you feeling blue, then that stress could be manifesting itself in a physical way by causing pain in your lower back. So perhaps a little stress management in the future could also see long-term relief from back pain as well? But if you’re suffering right now, get in touch with your nearest Physio Connect clinic and we’ll get you out of pain as soon as we possibly can.
