Stress, the Root of All Illnesses: Is Back Pain No Exception? When the Mind Hurts, the Body Hurts

Modern medicine also deeply resonates with the insight of the Donguibogam that the mind and body are closely connected. Stress activates the brain's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, promoting the secretion of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones place our body in a fight-or-flight state. Muscles become intensely tense, blood pressure rises, and heart rate accelerates. While this biological response protects us in urgent situations, the story changes in situations of chronic stress. Persistent muscle tension reduces blood flow and hinders oxygen supply within the muscles, accumulating fatigue substances such as lactic acid. This causes muscle rigidity and microinflammation, which stimulates nociceptors and leads to back pain. In particular, the neck, shoulders, and upper back are among the first areas to tense up under stress. Additionally, stress affects the brain's pain perception system. Chronic stress disrupts neurotransmitter balance, lowering the pain threshold and making the brain perceive pain signals more sensitively. This is known as central sensitization, and when this state is reached, severe pain is felt even when actual tissue damage is absent or minimal. Psychological states such as anxiety or depression can act as factors that amplify pain intensity and make it chronic. This is not simply an imaginary illness, but a phenomenon resulting from actual changes in the brain and nervous system. Chronic stress causes autonomic nervous system imbalance, suppressing parasympathetic nerve activity and excessively activating sympathetic nerves. This lowers sleep quality, weakens immunity, and reduces overall physical resilience, ultimately leading to a vicious cycle that further worsens various physical symptoms, including back pain. After all, pain in the back is not just a muscular issue, but a complex response of our body and mind to stress. This is why stress management is essential for relieving back pain.