Low back pain has an emotional component that favors its appearance due to inadequate stress management. Working on the emotional factor will help restore balance and improve our well-being.
The most recent scientific studies have revealed the close interdependence that exists between our mind and the different systems that regulate our body. In this sense, it is possible to inquire about the emotional origin of Low back pain, one of the most frequent and disabling diseases today.
In this podcast, Enric Corbera addresses the keys to recovering our ability to enhance our physical, mental and emotional well-being.
In this article we will address the influence that emotional states can have, that we are not managing effectively, in the appearance and development of the low back pain.
We will seek to analyze the parallelism of the function of the lower back as a support for our body. Some burdens of our lives that we are probably carrying in unhealthy ways.
These reflections on the influence of stress on low back pain they will be able to provide a deeper meaning to the picture that we have to go through and, in addition, they will invite us to a transformative self-inquiry, a path that depends entirely on us.
In this video, the teacher, Curro Aguilar, exposes the emotional environments and strategies that may be influencing this symptom, knowing that our stress plays a fundamental role in its development.
Low back pain: prevalence and symptoms
The World Health Organization (WHO) > points out that low back pain has become a one of the leading causes of disability and loss of quality of life worldwidealso causing a high rate of absenteeism.
According to a study by the University of Sydney School of Public Health in which data from 187 countries were analyzed, 9.4% of the world population suffers from low back pain, with a higher prevalence in Western European countries.
When physical alterations are not the true cause of pain
The low back pain or lumbago is a mechanical pain located in the lower back area, which worsens with effort or with some postures and decreases with discharge and rest. sometimes it can radiate to the thigh or lower extremityr, increasing with the movement of the spine.
In almost 90% of cases the original cause is not accurately identified. , because there is no direct correlation between an anatomical alteration and pain.
Since a solely physical cause and a precise diagnosis were not determined, They are classified as “non-specific low back pain”, defined by the effects caused by.
Possible causes of low back pain
Some of the physical factors that contribute to the appearance of low back pain are excessive physical loads, vibration or having an inappropriate posture.
However, it has been shown that personality traits and negative emotional states are factors that must be taken into account to fully understand why these pains manifest .
So much so that one of the main differences between acute and chronic low back pain is that in the second psychological, emotional, behavioral and social factors in the maintenance of pain .
Function and symbology of the column
The low back pain It affects the spine, which is the center of our motor structure. Everything the locomotor system has the objective of giving structure and movement to the body.
Along these lines, it has three important functions: to hold upright posture, to transmit the weight of the head and the trunk to the legs and protect spinal cord.
The biological sense is reflected in these functions because we they allow fundamental skills for survival such as moving around the environment, finding food or interacting.
The lumbar spine gives support and flexibility
If we look at the lumbar area of the spine in profile, we see that a curve is formed, as well as in the cervical area.
This arrangement gives flexibility to the column and makes it very resistant to load applied in the vertical direction. In fact, in some countries it is traditional to carry loads on the head, keeping the center of gravity in the axis of the spine.
We could say, then, that the spine is the main wall of our structure and the lumbar spine is responsible for supporting most of the weight.
The load that is expressed in the lower back
Analyzing its biological function allows us to establish a parallelism with the structure that sustains us and that allows us to support the weight of what we carry.
In fact, the motor experience of the first three years of life constitutes the foundations of self-esteem and self-confidence . If a child distrusts the possibilities of his body in movement, he lays the foundation for an insecure personality.
By understanding that our body responds to both the physical and emotional environment, we can see that This symbolism is linked to the particular way of supporting ourselves, of positioning ourselves and of assuming or carrying the different loads that we find in life.which can put us under pressure and become overloaded.
The emotional factor in the origin of low back pain
In the event of any lumbar discomfort, it is important to see a doctor to make a clinical diagnosis and indicate the corresponding medication or rehabilitation. However, the appearance of a symptom seems to respond to multiple factors, including .
The impact of stress on physical health
Various scientific fields, such as Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology, have consistently shown that perpetuating can have negative consequences on our body.
This does not mean that two people presenting the same symptom are experiencing a similar conflict. However, scientific evidence teaches us that each type of physiological manifestation has certain common features that we can extrapolate to different scenarios.
“It is necessary that the body have the vigor to obey the soul: a good servant must be robust. The weaker the body, the more it orders; the stronger, the more it obeys.”
Psychological traits that influence low back pain
Emotions have been established as one of the dimensions that make up the experience of pain and, in this sense, there are several studies that link low back pain with certain psychological aspects .
Recent research has shown that, In people suffering from low back pain, there is a clear relationship between angry states, the incidence of pain and the tendency to like anger . This increases muscle tension in the lower back, slowing recovery .
On the other hand, depression is one of the emotional responses that have been most frequently associated with pain, which also generates a tendency towards psychomotor inhibition. .
You can’t stop the bird of sadness from flying over you,
but you can prevent it from nesting in your hair
Chinese proverb
Behavioral trends in the origin of low back pain
Various scientific reports reveal personality factors that predispose people to chronic pain, such as the need to be accepted, insecurity and social dependence .
They also found in them a certain difficulty which makes them seem like people capable of enduring everythingbeing prone to assume obligations of their environment, often to the detriment of their own needs.
Also, in relation to personal history, these individuals have a greater number of negative childhood experiences that could make them more vulnerable to the development of chronic pain .
The emotional environment that favors low back pain
Bioneuroemotion focuses on investigating the emotional environment in which somatic manifestations occur and therefore understands that Difficulty managing emotional states can influence the appearance of a symptom and its evolution.
The body is a communication system that responds and adapts to the environment in which it operates, so we can according to the function of the organic system involved.
“Emotion always has its roots in the unconscious and manifests itself in the body”
What can be the emotional root of lumbago
There are body positions that minimize the risk of harming ourselves when lifting or carrying a weight. We can use it as an analogy for the situations we decide to carry.
Certain weights are acceptable and bearable as long as we adopt an adequate posture, take the necessary breaks and the . And this applies to both a physical and symbolic charge.
Therefore, it is important to understand that what harms us is not what we take care of, but how we do it.
So what hurts you, both physically and emotionally, has to do with your decisions about what loads you assume, how you carry them out and for how long. So lighten your load and It is also in your hands.
How to deal with the emotional pain of low back pain
Low back pain makes it necessary to reduce activity and avoid overloading, which can be an invitation to observe oneself and begin to.
A first step could be to identify each of the obligations that you assume without really wanting to do it. Think that everything you say after “I have to…” “I must…” is something you don’t want to do but force yourself to do.
The trap of sacrificing for others
It is common to think that sacrificing for others can make us feel like a good and valuable person. That if we make an effort they will love us more.
For example, you take on most of the household chores, do tasks for your children that they can already do on their own, or take care of all the office problems.
The truth is the effect may be the opposite, because you unconsciously seek to change others because you consider them the reason for your suffering.
prioritize yourself
Devoting ourselves to others, distancing ourselves from ourselves, contributes to increasing the feeling of insecurity and of . It generates frustration and.
listen to our body is an important resource for discovering the need behind this tendency to be accommodating and available to our environment.
If we can recognize our needs, we can also find greener ways to meet them.without sacrificing or depending on others.
Do it since taking care of yourself and taking responsibility for your own well-being, in the long run, will also benefit the environment.
“Liberty is the only objective worthy of the sacrifice of the lives of men”
Unconscious intention to accept charges that do not correspond to us
Beyond the weight that you are putting on your shoulders, the fundamental thing is realizing the intention behind this over-effort since, by sacrificing ourselves for others, we always look for something for ourselves, be it security,.
What responsibilities do you accept to feel accepted and valued? For example, feeling useful and having your value recognized, or preventing someone from getting angry or upset with you.
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