The Mind-Body Link: How Stress Could Be Causing Your Back Pain

Pain doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's affected by your mind, your life experiences, and many other factors you may not realize. This is known as the biopsychosocial model of pain. Basically, your pain is influenced by biological factors (injury, disease), psychological factors (emotions, stress), and social factors (work environment, personal relationships).

When you're under chronic stress, you're 2.8 times more likely to develop chronic lower back pain. And once it develops, stress can make it worse. Remember cortisol we discussed above? Stress also heightens how your brain perceives pain. When dealing with back pain and stress, it's important to understand this strong connection between your mind and body to treat both successfully.

Mind-Body Connection - Stress and Your Back Pain

Cortisol and Inflammation

When you experience stress, cortisol is released within the body (aka the stress hormone). Short bursts of cortisol are necessary to protect you from danger. But when you're always stressed, your body is constantly pumping out cortisol which leads to inflammation. As we discussed above, inflammation can cause the tissues in your spine to become inflamed and oversensitive to pain. That ache you feel in your lower back? It'll ring in your brain like a bell of back pain.

Muscle Guarding: Invisible Tension

Stress can also cause your body to automatically "guard" your muscles without you even knowing it. Have you ever raised your shoulders to listen carefully or clench your lower back during a stressful time? Stress tells your body to tighten up your muscles as you guard yourself. Over time, this muscle tension leads to muscle fatigue, knots, and pain.

This leads us to one of the cruel ironies of back pain and stress. Stress causes muscle tension, which contributes to pain. When you're in pain, it causes you to become… more stressed. It's a vicious cycle.

Breathing: The Missing Piece?

Have you ever noticed when you're stressed or in pain, your breath becomes shallow? This type of chest breathing doesn't fill up your lungs and worsens tension in your neck, shoulder, and upper back muscles. They become tight and overworked. Can stress cause back pain?

Normally, your diaphragm should be doing most of the breathing work for you. But when you chest breathe, your diaphragm goes unused and causes an imbalance of pressure in your core. In order to compensate, your back muscles have to overwork just to keep you standing up straight. Add that to your list of stressors and tight muscles.

Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent.
• Place one hand on your chest, one on your belly.
• Inhale through your nose for a count of 4, allowing your belly to rise.
• Exhale through pursed lips for a count of 6, allowing your belly to fall.
• Repeat for 5-10 minutes daily.

Central Sensitization

Chronic stress can also lead to a condition called central sensitization. Your nervous system becomes highly sensitized to pain, meaning non-painful sensations can be interpreted as painful. It's like turning up the volume on your pain receptors.

Stress hormones and inflammation change the way your nerves talk to each other. Your brain begins to interpret mild sensations as serious threats. Putting on a shirt can hurt. Sitting down hurts. Lightly tapping on your knee becomes painful.

Stress can also intensify your brain's pain centers. This means that two people with the same back problem can feel completely different levels of pain depending on their stress levels. That's why it's so important to address both the physiological and psychological components of your back pain and stress.

Movement Meditation: Pilates and Mindful Movement as Treatment

Which brings us to Pilates for back pain. Not only does Pilates help build strength, but it also teaches you how to coordinate your breath with movement. This mindful movement is essential to building that mind-body connection we've been talking about.

Here at Ironhorse Physical Therapy & Pilates in San Ramon, CA, you'll work with a physical therapist and Pilates specialist to explore movement patterns that stretch your body's tight areas and strengthen weak areas. By moving slowly and with control, you're helping your body unwind from "fight or flight" mode and into "rest and digest" mode. Literally silencing your body's stress response.

By incorporating principles of breath, control, and core strength into your everyday movement, Pilates allows you to regain confidence in how your body moves. It can help you break the stress and pain cycle for good. It's truly medicine for both your body and mind.

Helpful Tips for Stress-Related Back Pain

5-Minute Meditation & Mindfulness Practices

Did you know you can improve your body's stress response by meditating for just 5 minutes a day? Take a few minutes to download a meditation app like Headspace or Calm. They offer short, daily guided meditations as well as body scan meditations which help you identify and relieve tension in problem areas like your jaw, shoulders, back, etc.

Sleep Hygiene

Sleep is so important for both pain reduction and stress relief! Practice good sleep hygiene by waking up and sleeping around the same time every day. Keep your room cool (ideally between 65-68°F) and avoid looking at screens 2 hours before bed. Every night you spend tossing and turning increases your sensitivity to pain the following day.

Magnesium Supplementation

Magnesium helps with muscle relaxation and stress management, but most people are deficient in magnesium. Taking 300-400mg of magnesium glycinate before bed can improve your sleep quality and help prevent nightly leg cramps. Consult with your doctor before beginning any supplementation.

More Stress Relief Ideas:

• Progressive muscle relaxation (tightening & releasing muscle tension)
• Epsom salt baths (heat therapy + magnesium absorption)
• Daily stretching (even 10 minutes can help!)
• Spending time outdoors (reduces stress in just 20 minutes)
• Spending time with loved ones!

You can use these stress relief tips in addition to your physical therapy sessions or Pilates for back pain.

Now it's Your Turn

The mind-body connection with back pain and stress kind of blows your mind (no pun intended). You realize now that your stress isn't just something in your head. It's an actual physical force that's causing you pain.

The beauty is, you can start wherever you want to start. Some people like to start with breathing exercises. There's no right or wrong way to start. The goal is to work on both the mental and physical aspects of your pain.

Typically, the most well-rounded approach includes a mix of hands-on physical therapy and mindful movement, breath work, and stress reduction exercises. Not only will this help treat your pain, but you'll build long-lasting strength that prevents future injury.

If you're dealing with chronic back pain that never seems to go away, it may be time to look at the mind-body connection. Contact Ironhorse Physical Therapy & Pilates in San Ramon, CA today to schedule your first session!

FAQs on Back Pain and Stress

Can emotional trauma get "stuck" in the body?

Yes! Trauma that's not processed can become "stuck" in the body as chronic tension and pain. Trauma tells your body you are constantly under threat, so if you don't process these emotions, your body goes into protection mode… on high. You deserve trauma-informed physical therapy. There are many techniques out there that can help. From somatic experiencing, to EMDR, to trauma informed physical therapy–the mind body connection proves healing your emotions can heal your pain.

How do I know if my pain is psychosomatic?

First of all, pain that's deemed psychosomatic isn't imaginary. Your brain is real and has the power to intensify your pain symptoms! Signs your pain may be psychosomatic include: your pain fluctuates with your stress levels, you don't have clear-cut tissue damage shown on imaging, or your pain gets better when you're relaxed or distracted. Many times, stress and back pain have both physical and psychological contributors. In fact, it's rare that one plays a role without the other at all.

What is the best breathing technique for back pain?

Diaphragmatic breathing is ideal, but another trick you can use when you're in pain is called box breathing. Simply inhale, hold your breath, exhale, and hold again for 4 counts each. Repeat this box pattern 3-5 times. This breathing technique is one of the BEST ways to calm your nervous system and build your resilience to stress over time.

Does yoga help with stress back pain?

Yoga and Pilates for back pain can both help you loosen up, reduce stress, and build strength! The main difference is that Pilates emphasizes your core strength and is awesome for those with injuries. Yoga takes you through postures that improve your body's flexibility and mindfulness. Don't worry! We can help you determine which is best for your body at Ironhorse Physical Therapy & Pilates in San Ramon, CA.