Therapy for psychosomatic back pain

Therapeutically, there are many different approaches to the clinical picture of psychosomatic back pain in order to alleviate acute complaints, stabilize mental health or prevent primarily psychosomatic diseases. The prevention of psychological complaints in everyday life is also an important factor in acute therapy. Important approaches to staying relaxed in everyday life and not to accumulate stress consist of pausing often, listening to one’s own body, incorporating conscious rest periods during the day, talking about difficult situations early on and avoiding stressful situations as far as possible.

At the beginning of the therapy, the focus is on understanding, comprehending and accepting the connection between the psychological stress and the somatic complaints. Under professional guidance the conflicts should then be thought through, analyzed and worked through. It is important to uncover the exact pain triggers, to discard avoidance behavior, and to consciously tackle the pain. In the case of psychosomatic back pain, accompanying movement therapies are indispensable. Even if the cause of back pain is psychosomatic, sports, muscle building, muscle relaxation and yoga are important aids to strengthen the back and prevent stress and muscle tension.

Importance of psychosomatic back pain

The significance of a psychosomatic illness is different for each person affected. Back pain can occur as an acute sign of a momentary psychological strain, but also as a chronic consequence of many years of psychological complaints. In any case, the pain is to be understood as an expression and discharge of a burdened psyche and can only be treated causally if the psychological burden is accepted and treated as the cause. In contrast to somatic symptoms, mental illnesses have fewer possibilities to make themselves felt in cases of tension, overload and stress.The mood can also remain unchanged despite considerable psychological stress. It is therefore essential for those who are not affected to take care of their own mental health and to allow themselves sufficient rest in everyday life so that burdens do not accumulate and can be discharged as somatic symptoms.