Back and Neck Pain from Stress and Anxiety

Are you suffering from neck and back pain in Miami Beach?  I wanted to talk about stress or anxiety that might be the problem. The Corona Virus has caused a lot of stress and anxiety and it can affect your Neck, Back, and other areas, but usually these are the places stress and anxiety target. At Cafe of Life Chiropractic, we have ways to alleviate the stress and anxiety that may be causing, inflammation, nerves, and pain in your system. Here are some facts to help you determine the proper treatment until you can come and see us in our Miami Beach Chiropractic office.

Data published on Statista.com suggest that adults know stress affects their spines. Online survey participants ranked the No. 1 perceived cause of their neck and back pain as follows: 

• Stress: 29 percent
• Not enough exercise/weak muscles: 26 percent
• Physical work: 26 percent
• Overweight: 25 percent
• Spinal disc herniation: 21 percent
• Sitting at a desk at work: 20 percent

However, a certain level of stress is ever-present for most adults. While it’s unrealistic to suggest eliminating all stress from life, we can take incremental steps to reduce stress and alleviate neck and back pain symptoms at home and at work.

Neck pain and stress

Given its proximity to the head, the tension in the neck due to stress can cause muscle pain and headaches. Chronic neck pain also can cause fatigue, depression, and irritability. 

Also, when your posture is poor, such as straining to look at a computer or mobile device or hunching over your desk, undue strain occurs in the neck muscles. 

Back pain and stress

We typically talk about back pain as mid-back and low-back pain. Over time, both affect your posture and the way you walk, which can lead to pain in the hips, knees, and feet. 

Mid-back pain includes muscles that are affected by breathing, including the chest and shoulder muscles. When you’re stressed, your breathing patterns change and cause strain and tension in the mid-back. Your shoulders hunch up and cause pain throughout the upper and middle back.

Low-back pain includes the tailbone and lower half of the back muscles. These muscles affect flexibility and posture. Many people become more sedentary during periods of stress, which means they stretch and exercise less. For example, sitting at your desk for several hours a day when you’re swamped at work can strain the spine and low-back muscles.

Related reading: Back in action: Updated treatment recommendations for lower-back pain

Along with stress, common causes of spine pain include misalignment, obesity, poor workstation ergonomics, and lack of exercise, recently covid 19 and variants. However, we believe that all aspects of a patient’s health should be considered as parts of a whole rather than individual ailments. Patients with back pain are treated by experienced Chiropractors at Cafe of Life Chiropractic in Miami Beach. 

Give us a call @ Cafofilifechiropractic.com

Here are some other ways to relax your back.