Did you know that stress is linked with spinal pain? Chronic stress can trigger your spinal pain in several ways. Luckily, it is manageable and preventable. Learn how stress impacts your spinal pain and how you can prevent it in this article. Visit the best Pain Management Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or log on to www.doralhw.org. to schedule an appointment with us.
How does stress impact your spinal pain?
Our mind and body are connected. So, when you’re experiencing stress, it triggers a fight or flight response to protect you from the threat. When this happens, your body produces hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol, which increase your blood pressure, breathing rate, and heart rate. It makes your pupils dilate, muscles tighten up, and you sweat more. If you deal with chronic or long-term stress, these repeated surges of cortisol cause cortisol dysfunction, which leads to stress-induced inflammation, which increases the risk of chronic spinal pain.
Cortisol and inflammation problems cause oxidative stress, free radical damage, cellular injury or aging, and tissue degeneration, all of which lead to chronic pain. Research reveals that stress directly impacts pain processing, making existing pain worse. Stress can be linked to spinal pain in several ways:
- Muscle tension: Stress can trigger a physiological response that promotes muscle tension, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and back. This tension, if persistent, over time leads to spinal pain development. Some studies found a direct correlation between chronic stress and increased muscle tension, showing the role of stress in musculoskeletal discomfort.
- Pain sensitivity: Chronic stress can amplify your pain sensitivity. Research reveals that critical life events can trigger changes in the limbic system and related neurotransmitters, which change pain-inhibitory mechanisms. Research that highlights the impact of stress on the brain’s pain-processing regions found that this intensifies the perception of spinal pain, even to minor stimuli.
- Inflammation: When the body responds to stress, it releases cortisol, which is a hormone associated with the body’s fight-or-flight response. Now, if you have chronic stress, the body constantly releases cortisol, which leads to inflammation throughout the body, including in the spine, which leads to pain. In the context of stress affecting back pain, this inflammatory response affects the intervertebral discs and surrounding tissues, leading to chronic discomfort. Even scientific evidence proves that stress-induced cortisol release is linked with inflammation in the spine.
- Poor posture: When you’re stressed, your breathing patterns change and you lower your shoulders to hunch, which leads to strain and tension in your spine.
- Reduced blood flow: When stressed, your blood vessels may constrict, lower your blood flow to your back muscles, and cause pain.
- Reduced physical activity: Stress can significantly impact lifestyle choices and physical activity because it leads to sedentary behavior when stress levels are high. As a result, it weakens your muscles and compromises spinal support. The importance of having an active lifestyle to counteract the adverse effects of stress on musculoskeletal health can never be overlooked.
Self-care tips
These self-care tips will help you manage your stress, alleviate your spinal pain, and help lower the pain altogether.
- Regular light to moderate exercise:
Incorporating light to moderate physical activity into your routine can strengthen your core muscles and alleviate the strain on your spine. Some specific exercises that you can do to keep your back muscles healthy and strong include planks, pelvic tilts, bridges, etc. Additionally, you can add some cardiovascular exercises in your workout routine, like walking, swimming, cycling, or jogging, to increase your blood flow and produce endorphins, chemicals in the brain that work as stress and pain relievers.
- Good posture:
Slouching and hunching are common problems that strain your spine, making your pain worse, especially if you sit for long periods. So, when you work in your office or at home, try to sit upright with your shoulders relaxed, aligned with your body, where your back is supported by the chair. You can use a pillow or a rolled towel between your lower back and seat to make you feel comfortable while sitting. Keep your feet on the ground.
- Massage therapy:
Visit a qualified massage therapist for regular massage sessions to relieve tension from your muscles, promoting calmness and lower pain. Ask the therapist to focus on areas that are prone to stress-related tension, such as the head, shoulders, neck, and lower back, where the spine is located.
- Sleep in a better position:
When you have spinal pain, sleeping can be hard. It can be a vicious cycle because you don’t get enough sleep to improve your pain, which may make you feel worse. A poor sleep position also aggravates back pain. To avoid that, try to lie on your side and place a pillow between your knees to keep your spine in a neutral position and relieve strain on your back. If you like to sleep on your back, slide a pillow under your knees to sleep comfortably. Make sure you have comfortable pillows and a mattress.
- Deep breathing, yoga, and tai chi:
These mind-body practices combine with gentle movements and deep breathing to promote flexibility, balance, and relaxation. When you take deep breaths and focus on your breathing sensation, it prevents your mind from wandering, which lowers stress. Moreover, yoga and Tai Chi can alleviate musculoskeletal pain while relieving muscle tension.
Stress and lifestyle can affect spinal pain and make it worse or trigger it. Stress causes several ways that lead to spinal pain. Fortunately, all these ways can be prevented by following the above-mentioned self-care tips to manage stress and improve spinal pain and relieve overall back pain.
Need help with spinal pain? Visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!! If you’re ready to take the next step in managing your pain, we recommend consulting with us to explore the right treatments or therapies for you. Always listen to your body and adjust your daily routine to prioritize your well-being. Visit Doral Health & Wellness Pain Relief Department in Brooklyn, to get professional help and guidance on how to manage your problem. Call us on + 1-718-367-2555 to get a consultation. If you need help learning coping methods, register your information and make direct contact with our doctors at https://yuz88hfiyh7.typeform.com/Doralintake. Log on to www.doralhw.org. Or visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.
