Stress a leading cause of back pain
Back pain may not just involve bones and muscles.
Controversy over whether back pain is purely related to physical problems or if some back pain is possibly caused by emotional or mental stress has been around for decades.
Dr. John Sarno, a physician and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at New York University has over the last 25 years popularized his theory of stress-related back pain which he calls “Tension Myositis Syndrome” (TMS).
TMS is muscle pain caused by repressed emotions such as anger, guilt, fear and anxiety. TMS is called a psycho-phsyiological illness which are physical symptoms either caused or maintained by psychological factors, according to www.spine-health.com.
The Brady Institute for Health in Celebration, Ohio, specializes in back pain related to TMS. According to www.bradyinstitute.com, many sufferers of back pain, at least 60 percent, either go undiagnosed or are diagnosed incorrectly thus resulting in treatment that costs a lot of money and doesn’t render much help. The reason: A large amount of back pain is due to TMS and repressed emotions.
Dr. Scott Brady, who was trained by Sarno, believes that just as stresses we are aware of, such as an upcoming exam, can cause anxiety resulting in stomach pains and so forth, pressures and emotions we are not consciously aware of can cause back pain.
Treatment for TMS by Brady includes education about TMS and instruction on how to identify subconscious emotions.
Brady also teaches about different personalities and how those differences contribute to repressed emotions.
Sarno has reportedly cured more than 85 percent of his back pain patients without medicine or surgery and was recently on Larry King Live and 20/20 explaining his theory and practice. The normal course treatment for TMS takes six to eight weeks or ends once the source of the pain is found. It is common for patients after this to find a significant decrease in their symptoms.
Repressed emotions are not the only stresses found to affect back pain however and stress can affect many systems of the body including hormones, immune system, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system and the musculoskeletal system. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Web site, www.aaos.org, four out of five adults will experience significantly lower back pain sometime during their life.
In December of 2000, BBC News reported that an experiment at Ohio State University found that people stressed out at work are more prone to simply use the wrong muscles when lifting objects or doing other activities that lead to back pain. Back problems are also listed as one of the main sicknesses reported in the workplace in the United Kingdom.
Stress has been shown to cause physical effects throughout the body. Back pain is “the body’s way of protesting against stress and enforcing general slowing down” according to www.heartmonitors.com, a site about back pain and the effects of gravity inversion treatments on back pain.
For many, slowing down, reducing stress and resolving repressed emotions just may be the solution to the battle with back pain.