My mom said I got it from sleeping like a fetus, a sleeping position where your arms are almost hugging your legs and you’re so hunched. Plus, of course, the obvious fact that I really have a bad posture, maybe as bad as Quasimodo's on the Hunchback of Notre Dame. But I kept ignoring it because I was so sure it’s going to subside and eventually go away just like before.
However, as days passed, I felt the pain growing more intense and getting a bit disturbing that I can no longer bear a day without a "Salonpas" on my back and pain liniment each night. I had trouble sleeping at night and concentrating on tasks at work. It then got to a point where in while ins a bus on my way home, it got too painful, I could hardly move. I was already crying like a baby when I got home.
The next day, after weeks of enduring the unbearable agony (which, at the time, was giving me the anxieties of scoliosis, osteoporosis, or worse, a broken backbone), I sought the help of an expert. I made an appointment with a resident physician from a credible nearby hospital. The doctor's door and desk reads "Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Specialist" under his name.
Funny thing, the doctor was in great disbelief when I told him about my back pains and my fears about it. He shrugged the idea of an X-ray. He said I was too young and that he is more than sure we can disregard problems concerning my bones. He just asked three key questions:
- What’s your job?
- Does it involve sitting in front of a computer most of the time?
- Are you getting too much stress from work lately?
Of course, I answered him with a big "YES."
Then he gave his diagnosis without even asking me to undergo any lab test or whatsoever. He said that I was suffering from chronic acute back pain. According to him, my excessive stress is triggering muscle spasms or cramps in my back. "Wow, stress. Seriously? Yeah, like blame everything on stress, huh?" This was what I was thinking back then. Well, for all I know this guy can just be a good ‘ol Dr. Quack, Quack in white.
But after I have done some research through the Internet on the top causes of severe back pain, where stress actually did land a major spot, I knew Doc was right. Most of the sites that I have visited confirmed the major connection between stress and back pain.
Based on studies, stress causes a release of stress hormones, which then increase the perception of pain and causes muscles to tighten up. The muscles tense up so much they go into painful spasms. Back and neck muscles are particularly sensitive to the effects of stress.
Aside from painful bouts of back pains, some minor negative effects of stress also include:
- involuntary chattering, stammering
- gritting and grinding of teeth
- Insomnia, nightmares and disturbing dreams
- aggravation in skin allergies and disease (e.g. rashes, itching, hives, eczema, psoriasis, arthritis)
- Unexplained or frequent "allergy"
attacks - chest pain
- frozen shoulder
- anxiety
- depression
- constipation
- dandruff
- zits and pimples
- Abdominal discomfort.
But it doesn't stop there, as stress can also lead to more serious and debilitating health conditions such as:
- Heart attack (caused by increased blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol)
- Stroke (caused by increased blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol)
- Ischemic Bowel disease like Crohn’s disease
- Mental and Psychological disorders
- Bell's Palsy (yet to be proven)
- Chronic pain
- Gastrointestinal disorders
So, after lecturing me on life, posture, stress, and thinking too much, Doc wrote me a medical certificate, gave me a list of pain killers (which I did not use), and a paper with helpful illustrations of proper postures when doing different activities.
There are countless medical diseases – including mental disorders – that point stress as the culprit. So, the next time you feel stressed about something, ask yourself first, "Is it worth it?"
Related Sources:
http://www.bigbackpain.com/stressandbackpain.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Stress-Could-Be-Causing-Your-Upper-Back-Pain&id=3589912
http://www.stressfocus.com/stress_focus_article/stress-effects-on-body.htm
http://www.relaxation-at-home.com/stresssideeffects.html
http://www.stress.org/topic-effects.htm
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