Patients are often surprised to hear just how much of a factor various stressors can play in back pain and chronic pain. Yes, movement and musculoskeletal issues are commonly involved. However, they aren’t the only contributors when it comes to pain.
Anything from a poor sleep schedule, job dissatisfaction, too much or too little exercise, to a bad diet, and many others – one or more of these oftentimes correlate with back pain. These do need to be addressed if possible.
Confusingly, too little stress is also a situation we want to avoid. This infographic from @precisionnutrition does a great job of describing a “stress sweet spot”.