Back pain is the worst, isn’t it? One of the main effects of back pain is that it means your back hurts and that pain makes you have a harder time moving around… so it’s harder to get out of bed, harder to get in and out of a car, and harder to sit for long periods of time at restaurants and movie theaters. Ugh.
But what are some lesser known effects of back pain? For one, it can mess with your mental well-being. Did you ever know someone who blames everything on their back pain? Their pain consumes them, to the point where they become depressed. Yes– depression and back pain are linked. Because the pain hurts, that person doesn’t do what they used to. So, if Joe Average used to go to the local YMCA and lift weights, but now his back hurts, he gives up working out. Then he sits at home watching TV and not interacting with people. He starts eating more and more junk food. Soon he’s not only depressed but he has gained ten pounds. His XL shirts don’t fit. He goes to the store to buy XXL shirts, which makes him more depressed. His back pain is controlling him, and not in a good way. “I’m a fat, miserable mess,” he tells himself.
Back pain is more than just a physical problem. It affects a person’s mood and their daily life. They don’t concentrate as well. They’re more irritable, lashing out at people. Their appetite and sleeping habits become abnormal. Stress levels are elevated. People with back pain can end up withdrawing from social situations. They might stop physical activity for fear of making it worse, even though that activity is good for them and could be helpful.
There’s the tendency to “catastrophize” their pain– magnifying it into something worse than it actually is, whereas their back pain is all they think about, talk about, and concentrate on. As you’d imagine, this is not good.
Now some people will resort to medication/drugs for their back pain. What about when they take too many pills at once and that messes with their overall health, leading to more problems? Or what if they get hooked on hard drugs, like heroin, because it “gives them relief.” That’s a road no one should go down.
Treating back pain involves both the structural problem and the psychological problem. Chiropractic care is important because it takes a drug-free, holistic approach to helping a person get better over time.
If back pain is ruining your life, please call Lakewoods Chiropractic in Forest Lake, MN, at 651-464-0800 or email [email protected]. Make an appointment to get on the path to recovery.
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