Back pain can have psychological causes

„I have backs“: Cause of pain can be mental

03/10/2015

Millions of people in Germany repeatedly suffer from back pain. Sometimes the symptoms come slowly, but sometimes suddenly. Often they disappear after a short time, but in some cases they stay. The cause of the pain can also be mental.

Book on Holistic Back Pain Treatment
People suffering from back pain should keep a close eye on when the symptoms are occurring and what kind of stress they may be associated with. Orthopedist Martin Marianowicz, who has written a book on holistic treatment and prevention of back pain, advises. Back pain can be triggered for example by stress in the job or excessive demands on the family. These circumstances should consider those affected and, if necessary, say no. According to the dpa news agency, Marianowicz said: „To say: „That's too much for me“ If you need courage, you have to practice it.“

Physiotherapy and relaxation help
He advises those who have a backache over a long period of time and perhaps also take painkillers to go to the doctor. This should be best attended to a pain therapist who recognizes and treats the multiple causes of back pain. Marianowicz emphasized that interventions, such as a herniated disc, only in the rarest cases make sense. „That someone operates 1000 discs a year is not a quality feature.“ In many cases, sufferers help physiotherapy and relaxation.

Half an hour daily for muscle relaxation
It is best to take 15 to 30 minutes each day. One of the different methods that exist is progressive muscle relaxation, as Marianowicz explained. Lie down and, one by one, tense all parts of the body that touch the ground one after another from head to toe for a few seconds. According to the expert, one should first tense the body parts for four seconds and increase with more exercise to about seven seconds. After this phase you can relax the respective muscle part completely. Even when sitting or standing it can work with relaxation with some practice.

Exercises for back pain
Other back pain exercises and physical exercises to strengthen the muscles, such as a lot of exercise, running stairs or abdominal training can help to feel better soon. Some rely on unconventional methods such as acupuncture. And osteopathy also helps with back pain, as a recent study has shown. In addition, people who are overweight or obese should consider losing weight to relieve the back.

Relaxation exercises to reduce stress
Because mental stress is a common cause of discomfort, it is advisable to practice relaxation exercises for stress relief. Autogenic training is one of the options. Marianowicz explained that you lie down or sit down and close your eyes. Then one starts to think of different sentences „My arms are very heavy“ or „My whole body is comfortably warm“ to recite in thought. The arne feel really heavy with some practice and the body actually warm. If you want to relax again, you should take a deep breath, pull the arms firmly to the body and open the eyes again. The book „Healing the back - pain free and staying - the holistic program“ from dr. Martin Marianowicz, is available from Gräfe und Unzer Verlag. (Ad)