What is psychosomatic back pain?
Psychosomatics is a medical subspecialty that deals with physical complaints that can be attributed to psychological factors, among other things. Nowadays, mental illnesses are on the rise due to stress situations, pressure situations in everyday life, depression, anxiety and panic attacks and numerous other factors. Links between physical complaints, so-called “somatic” illnesses and psychological influences have been proven.
The physical symptoms are by no means just an illusion, but a serious and often measurable condition, the cause of which is, among other things, the psyche. Psychosomatic back pain can take various forms. In most cases, back pain occurs at one time or another due to lack of movement, herniated discs, muscle tension or other physical disorders.
Due to psychological circumstances, the pain can become chronic as psychosomatic back pain, although later there is no physical reason for the pain. People with depressive symptoms suffer from chronic back pain up to twice as often as healthy people. With about 15-20% chronic back pain in the entire society, the psychosomatic back pain thus represents an enormously frequent and important clinical picture.
Causes of psychosomatic back pain
The psychological causes, which can manifest themselves as back pain, are numerous. The most common illnesses and causes in this context are depression, anxiety and panic attacks, psychologically stressful situations and social instability. The main problem of these disorders lies in today’s social structures and everyday life.
Ever increasing demands, stressful social situations and a pressure to perform in work and private life are confronted with a lack of time, a lack of drive, a lack of movement and permanent stress. As a result, the psychological pressure can only be discharged inadequately and mental health is increasingly pushed into the background in today’s society. In the clinical picture of psychosomatic back pain, orthopedic problems due to lack of movement, rigid office work, muscle tension and muscle weakness in the back are often added to the problem.
These are often the first trigger of back pain. The psychological pressure that accumulates is then only the last factor that keeps the pain going and discharges in response to a stressful everyday life. Instead of an accumulation of stressful situations, mental stress can also be caused by one-time drastic experiences such as death or separation.
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