How Stress Causes Low Back Pain
The stress connection to low back pain is one of the more common scenarios seen with patients who are suffering from this sometimes debilitating condition. Back pain is a 60 BILLION dollar problem in the U.S. and stress is one of the biggest factors involved. Stress is defined here as anything that is having a negative affect on our nervous systems and consequently influencing our musculoskeletal systems. Stress can be dietary, physical, emotional, occupational, etc. It all counts and it is all accumulative regarding the potential to impact our physiology in a manner that is far from positive.
The U.S. is one of the most stressful countries to live in. Americans work longer hours and take less time off than the rest of the industrialized world. Dealing with ever increasing required government demands, taxes, etc. to keep the treadmill running is a fact of life here. Combine that with the Standard American Diet (SAD) and it is a recipe that guarantees physical ailments like low back pain and chronic degenerative disease. Americans consume more junk food (756 doughnuts per person per year), more refined sugar, and use more prescription drugs than any other people in the world. The different sources of stress also feed off each other. For example, many who are emotionally stressed, may find comfort in high sugar snacks or alcohol. Because of their stress they can’t sleep or have panic attacks and wind up taking prescription drugs for these problems. Their short term solutions may exacerbate the stress response in the body.
What happens physically when we are under stress? The body secretes stress hormone (cortisol) that has a flight or fight function. This is very good if you are running away from a tiger, but very bad if this response is going on all the time. Excess cortisol depletes your immune system, which is why people get sick when they are continually stressed. Cortisol also leaches calcium from your bones causing osteoporosis, puts a toxic load on your liver and kidneys, contributes to diabetes, and makes you fat. It also affects the brain, lowering intelligence and causing memory loss. There’s more, but you get the picture. This is not a good thing.
What does this have to do with your back? Under stress, it is the adrenal glands that must respond. If they are over stimulated they become exhausted. When the adrenals fatigue, there are direct consequences to the musculoskeletal system. For starters, the nerves supplying the adrenals are affected. Nerves are two ways streets. They can not only be affected at the spinal level of origin, but also peripherally, at their destination, back to the spine. One of the common lumbar areas affected is at the third lumbar vertebra. Muscles are also affected. All muscles innervated by the irritated nerve can contract. Trigger points can develop. There are muscle-organ correlations. The work of Dr. Goodheart in the 1960’s has withstood the test of time. There are predictable muscle imbalances with organ stress. In the case of the adrenal glands, one of the primary muscles involved is the sartorius. It is a major pelvic as well as medial knee stabilizer. This is why so many people, including athletes, injure their knees when under stress. There was a pre-existing imbalance from the adrenals causing an improper or inadequate response on the part of the sartorius muscle. The demand on the muscle exceeded its threshold to handle it resulting in an injury. Another affect from exhausted adrenals is ligament weakness. Ligaments hold joints together. Put a demand on a joint and the body responds by getting stronger to resist that demand. When one has an adrenal syndrome issue, there is an opposite affect. There will be weakening of the joint when challenged. This is another major reason why people injure themselves under stress.
The direct connection to the low back from stress is that the sartorius imbalance in the front of the thigh has an impact on the sacroiliac (SI) joint integrity on the posterior side of the pelvis. When the SI is affected by either the sartorius or from weak ligaments, there can be pain directly at the joint, or the lower lumbar vertebrae may be the source of discomfort since their position may be altered. Further, the gluteus maximus muscle on the involved SI side will be weakened. Muscles that attach to or cross an involved joint will be affected as well. The gluteus maximus muscle is a strong, major lifting and anti-gravity muscle. People with weakness will experience difficulty getting up from a seated position. They will usually put their hands on their knees and push themselves up. In grocery stores, these people are often leaning over their shopping carts to support themselves.
Treatment should be muti-faceted. Balancing the adrenals is a must. This needs to be done specifically based on individual needs, but some of the common natural supports are choline, licorice, ashwaganda, rhodiola, and Siberian and American ginseng. Structural work, focusing on involved nerve roots and muscle balancing techniques work well to eliminate or reduce pain. I also utilize a cold laser to “reset” the adrenals (techniques from Dr. George Gonzalez, Quantum Neurologist). Of course, emotional stress must be dealt with to change one’s response to the triggers. A counselor, aromatherapy, journalling, etc. may be useful. Exercises should focus on the extensor muscle groups and forward flexion movements should be limited. Over exertion should be avoided. Tai-Chi and Chi-Gong are excellent. A low sugar and carbohydrate diet is essential. Higher protein and vegetable consumption is recommended. Organic sodium should be increased, as sodium is dumped in the urine when one is stressed. Zucchini, squash, green beans, and celery fit this need. Proteolytic enzymes help pain as do anti-inflammatories like turmeric, ginger, and yucca.
