Can Anger and Depression Really Trigger Your Lower Back Pain?

 We are often unable to draw the connection between depression, anger and how it physically affects us but various researches and studies have proven that mental illness can really hurt and torment us. We often pair up depression, anxiety, stress and anger with emotional challenges like despair, sadness, crying and dejection but it’s proven that it can also cause us severe physical distress that makes things worse and is often undiagnosed. One of the common physical pain that is often associated with depression and anxiety is lower back pain. In fact, lower back pain can be the early symptoms of depression. Sometimes the situation is also reversed, due to chronic lower back pain some people go into depression as it meddles with their normal life.

How Does Depression Cause Back Pain?

Studies and researches have proven that people who suffer from depression, anxiety and anger issues feel lower back pain more intensely and powerfully than others. In depressed and disturbed people, proteins called cytokines, which are responsible for affecting how the immune system responds to diseases and infections, are present in higher levels causing inflammation and excruciating pains. When a person is depressed or suffering from anxiety disorders, he/she hardly even wants to get up from the bed. Fatigue, lethargy and procrastination takes the best of that person. With no physical movement, exercise or workout, the muscles become more stressed and inflamed making the matters worse.

People suffering from depression and anger management problems must seek medical assistance, do TMS therapy for depression sessions, take proper medication, eat healthy, work on their sleep pattern and exercise to eliminate the symptoms of depression and relieve lower back pain. Depression and anxiety disorders can actually cause physical pains and distress, so when any of your loved one complain about lower back pain and show symptoms of depression make sure to support him/her and don’t say it's “all in your head”.

The Connection Between Lower Back Pain and Depression  

Several studies, researches and programmes have been conducted that have, over the years, proved that there is in fact a strong connection between depression, which is a mental disorder and lower back pain, which is a physical pain. In 2013, 1013 Canadian university students found a direct association and affiliation in between the two. Many psychologists and psychiatrists have strongly believed in the connection of depression and physical pains but haven’t been able to fully navigate a path that joins the two. They still have to find the links that connect mental disorders to body inflammation response.

Some newer and more refined studies have concluded that our neural circuits and body inflammation are associated with each other causing distress on such an extent. It’s thought that the inflammation in the body may interrupt the path of the signals reaching the brain that eventually aggravates depression, anger and anxiety. There are various ways by which we can cure both the physical and mental problems like TMS treatment, medication, holistic approach or other therapies.

How to Treat Patients Suffering from Depression and Chronic Lower Back Pain?  

Most of the patients who suffer from lower back pain think that if only they would get rid of this pain their life will be so much better and they’ll feel much more productive. But the truth of the matter is that depression and body pains are interlinked, so if you want to make progress, you’ll have to treat both of them simultaneously. We have to make peace with the fact that one thing affects the other, so the treatment should be comprehensive and all inclusive. People who have lower back pain due to depression or depression due to lower back pain can opt for TMS therapy for depression, TMS treatment, psychological counselling, behavioral therapy, relaxation training, have holistic approach and mild antidepressants.

All these treatments will work for both the problems as they inhibit the reuptake of neurotransmitters in our brain. These neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine are responsible for a person’s mood swings and are also the pain receptors. Another amazing way to treat both depression symptoms and lower back ache is by doing regular exercise and aerobics, this stimulates the serotonin levels in our brain, prompts the release off the feel-good endorphins that helps in relieving the depression and pain. I would highly recommend always asking your doctor before starting any exercise programme, even though exercise has many benefits for your body, you still need your doctor’s approval.

Constant Pain is Mind’s Way to Communicate and Signal for the Impending Illness

Sometimes people keep their disturbing and distressing thoughts and emotions to themselves, they keep the constant fight within themselves, admonish themselves and torment themselves, thus a time comes when the mind and body are exhausted and all those evil feelings manifest in the body. If you have been ignoring your mind and body signals of sadness, lethargy, exhaustion, pain, unhappiness, despair and stress for a long time now, please consult a doctor as soon as possible. According to American Psychological Association, depression and chronic pain such as back aches have been very common and around 14.8 million Americans suffer from this.

Depression and anxiety disorders can be caused by a variety of reasons with varying intensities in different people. It can be genetic, due a childhood trauma, unprecedented situations, brain chemistry or life pressures. People who suffer from depression, anger management issues, anxiety disorders and chronic pain need professional help to overcome. TMS treatments, TMS therapy for depression, medication and holistic approach helps stabilizing the person and also eliminates various symptoms as well.  

Summary

Lower back pain can also be associated with various other factors like bad mattress, poor sleeping posture, pregnancy, disc degeneration and fibromyalgia as well. But if the pain is not due to any of the reasons and you just feel sad, depressed and unhappy from inside it's mostly probably depression causing the pain.