Back pain is largely caused by poor emotional health. In an increasingly turbulent world where there is not enough time to process all the information provided by the senses, knowing how to manage a state of mental health is of vital importance to maintaining physical balance.
To better understand this issue, it is important to know how emotions work in the body, and then refer to the effects they can cause, such as in this case: back pain.
The human body is a wonderful network of life, designed and programmed by the brain. According to the 13th edition of Guyton’s Textbook of Medical Physiology, published in 2016, the limbic association area of the cerebral cortex, which is located at the anterior pole of the temporal lobe, is primarily involved in behavior, emotions, and motivation.
What is pain?
Pain is defined as a feeling of discomfort, which can be sharp or dull, constant or intermittent, pulsating or steady. According to the New Merck Manual of General Medical Information published in 2010, pain pathways begin in special receptors located throughout the body. These receptors transmit information in the form of electrical impulses along nerves to the spinal cord and onto the brain.
But what happens when pain is caused by psychological factors that chain emotions?
This pain is known as psychogenic pain.
Psychogenic pain
According to the New Merck Manual of General Medical Information, psychogenic pain is totally or partially related to a psychological disorder.
When people have persistent pain with evidence of psychological disorders, without a physical injury being found that could be the cause of the pain, then the pain can be described as psychogenic pain.

This is the explanation of why there are pains that often do not understand where they come from because it is often overlooked that emotional health is essential to explain the origin of many physical pains.
Relationship of emotions with the back
As the author of the book Physiological Psychology, Wenger Jones and Jones, states: “Almost everyone thinks they know what an emotion is until they try to define it. At that point, hardly anyone claims to be able to understand it .” Emotions are so complex that we never dare question what they are capable of doing.
Therefore, the back is one of the human structures with the most nerve receptors, and emotional information is received in this muscle tissue; therefore, if there is a lot of nerve reception in this area, the pain will manifest itself.
- Sadness, worry, and stress
Negative emotions that you have experienced in certain circumstances are the cause of back pain, which is usually one of the most common physical symptoms in patients with depression or generalized anxiety. Thus, it is more than common to see people go through a whole journey of physiotherapists and spinal specialists without finding relief, without finding a remedy for that recurring back pain. Until, finally, they receive the correct diagnosis from a psychologist or other mental health professional.

We cannot forget that pain is, above all, a neurological experience transmitted by our nervous system. Thus, in those states characterized by anxiety, fear, disappointment, or discouragement, what is happening in our brain is a chemical imbalance. An irregularity between serotonin and norepinephrine generates, for example, an increase in the perception of pain.
Dr Benson Hoffman explains that almost 80% of people will experience lower back pain at some point. This is the most common condition and demonstrates how emotions affect the back and, in particular, how emotional suffering associated with sadness or disappointment is localized in this area of the body.
How to prevent it?
The prevention that is recommended in most cases usually does not take emotional factors into account, however these are of vital importance.
Below we present a series of tips that can help you prevent back pain caused by negative emotions.
- Distract your attention to a specific issue: It is important to keep your mind occupied with issues that do not involve your anxiety, stress, pessimism, etc.
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Meditate regularly: it is an effective exercise if done with certainty; reflecting on your emotional actions will allow you to know yourself, thus avoiding uncomfortable or desperate situations.

- Journal your emotions: Writing is a way to release negative emotions, as well as keep a record, in which you can compare moods, and learn to differentiate between them.
- Take a break (or a glass of water) to regain self-control: It is advisable to take time to relax as much as possible. Try to give yourself a moment of inner peace.
- The most important thing: find the reason for your emotions: in many circumstances, responsibility for emotions is not assumed, therefore, you must be able to recognize that each person is the cause of their emotional balance.
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