Physicians Say Anxiety Is Leading Cause of Back Pain

Anxiety disorders are not solely classified as emotional responders. In fact, anxiety can cause an array of painful ailments that disturb patients emotionally and physically.

According to the North American Spine Association, four out of five American adults experience significant back pain during the course of their lifetime. Although back pain can develop due to underlying disease, acute injury or chronic illness, anxiety is the top cause of back pain development.

How does anxiety correlate with back pain? 

There is an intricate relationship between anxiety and physical health. Whether you sit at a desk during working hours or fret about daily events in your life, the tension and stress you’re experiencing can cause your body to react negatively. Anxiety causes the body to stiffen, tightening not only muscles, but joints, too. When prolonged stiffness occurs, pain develops. The pain is essentially sending a signal to your brain saying that the body needs to rest and heal.

Unmanaged anxiety also takes a toll on emotional well-being. It can increase your perception of emotions and feelings, including a more intense pain sensation. When the sufferer feels new bodily issues developing, it can often become hard to cope with the pain, resorting in elevated levels of anxiety and ultimately a continuation of physical ailments. This is a vicious cycle that threatens to take hold of your mental and physical well-being. Without the proper treatment, pain and anxiety can be hard to control or eliminate.

How can natural treatment assist with healing back pain and managing anxiety? 

When desperate to find healing, sufferers often resort to medications, such as opioids, to alleviate their pain. Not only can these unneeded medications cause other issues to arise within the body, they can also become highly addicting. Becoming addicted to pain medications can ruin one’s life while only temporarily numbing the pain.

Other times, patients experiencing pain resort to heeding their doctor’s advice for surgery. Physicians across the Nation push surgery that is unnecessary. Back surgery can potentially place the patient at high risk for unwanted, life altering outcomes.

However, the medical world has evolved greatly in ways that lean toward healing the body naturally. More and more physicians are recommending natural treatment to nourish the body emotionally and physically, without surgery or chemically infested and addictive medications.

Acupuncture has become a world-wide healing measure and is a preferred treatment over pharmaceutical medications, such as opioids. The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommend acupuncture treatment first. Fast Relief Acupuncture is the leading acupuncture treatment office in Northern New Jersey, specializing in treating and healing back pain caused by unmanaged anxiety. While following closely with the ACP’s guidelines, Fast Relief Acupuncture aims to put your health first by providing thorough and successful back pain treatment.

Fast Relief Acupuncture does not provide temporary relief like that of a drug. Rather, our office’s main goal is to proactively heal the body by diminishing pain while  fully managing anxiety symptoms.

When should I visit Fast Relief Acupuncture? 

Although our office can work for you as a preventative treatment, our acupuncturists specialize in helping heal ailments that you are currently suffering from, such as a back injury. There are several physical symptoms to look out for when you think you may have a back injury. These symptoms can include:

• Sharp, localized pain
• Chronic ache
• Inability to perform daily tasks such as bending, walking or sitting for long periods
• Inability to perform exercises
• Disrupted sleep due to pain
• Feelings of tingling or numbness in the arms or legs

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, it is always recommended to first consult your physician. Your physician can properly diagnose the ailment and recommend proper treatment. When natural treatment, such as acupuncture, is discussed, it is always important to remember to continue other treatments that your doctor has prescribed or recommended such as physical therapy or anxiety medication. Acupuncture works best when treatments harmoniously combine to provide the greatest possible outcome for the patient.

When you are ready to schedule an acupuncture treatment, please call our office to set up a consultation appointment. An acupuncture specialist will discuss your needs and create an appropriate, unique treatment plan for healing.

We look forward to hearing from you!

https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illness/other-related-conditions/chronic-pain

https://www.spine.org/knowyourback/conditions/other/back-pain-emotional-distress-stiffness