Have you ever asked: What causes anxiety attacks and back pain?
You may never think that back pain could result from stress, but the truth is anxiety attack back pain can sometimes arise from stress and anxiety.
While it is true that anxiety can trigger a reaction from our bodies, it is not the root cause of back pain.
When a person has an anxiety attack, he may have a physical response to the attack in the form of an escalating fear.
Anxiety disorders and other mental health disorders are treatable with appropriate medications.
Anxiety attack has strong hereditary qualities and can run in families.
Anxiety Attack Back Pain
An anxiety attack can cause a lot of symptoms, including back pain.
If you suffer from an anxiety attack, you may experience back pain.
You should know upfront: although it can be very unpleasant, back pain caused by an anxiety attack is not dangerous.
The condition is treatable.
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder that causes unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.
These sensations often mimic symptoms of a heart attack or other life-threatening medical conditions.
As a result, the diagnosis of panic disorder can often be delayed or missed altogether as people who have anxiety attacks do not appear seriously ill and may attribute their symptoms to less life-threatening conditions like indigestion.
How to Manage Anxiety Attack Back Pain?
Fortunately for those who experience both back pain and anxiety attacks, there are many treatments for both conditions that can help with both issues at once.
Some examples include:
We will look at them one by one.
Relaxation Techniques
Try to relax during an anxiety attack.
If you are outside, try to find a quiet place where you feel safe. If you are inside, go to the most isolated part of the house (if possible) and try to calm yourself down.
Take slow and steady breaths. Try to focus on your breathing until your anxiety attack subsides.
You can also do this by counting backward from ten slowly with each breath.
For example: "10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3..." and so on until you reach zero, 10 times over ("0").
Distract yourself from your anxiety by focusing on other things that might be going on around you or something that is not causing the anxiety attack (e.g., check for noises outside).
Practice Yoga
Practicing yoga may help reduce your symptoms.
Yoga may help reduce muscle tension and back pain associated with an anxiety attack.
Yoga can also help you relax, which in turn can help lower your stress levels.
In addition, practicing yoga over time can teach you how to better control your breathing during an anxiety attack.
There are many different types of yoga styles you might want to try, from gentle styles such as hatha yoga to high-intensity vinyasa flow.
Before trying any type of yoga for anxiety attack pain and symptoms, talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits for you personally.
Get a Massage
A massage may help if your back pain is due to muscle tension.
If you have anxiety, tender or sore muscles can make your day feel even worse. You might not be able to sleep well because of pain from back spasms.
Tense muscles also release chemicals that increase stress and anxiety.
This can create a vicious cycle: Anxiety causes muscle tension, which leads to back pain, which leads to more anxiety.
If you're feeling tense or anxious, there are a few things you can try to help ease your pain:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may help treat panic disorder.
It is a type of therapy that focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
CBT can effectively treat anxiety disorders and may also help to reduce anxiety attack symptoms.
This form of therapy helps you learn to:
CBT can involve a one-on-one session with a professional therapist or counselor or in a group setting.
Medication might be another option for treating panic disorder and its associated back pain.
Medication is not the only treatment option for panic disorder, but it could provide relief from both the condition and its associated back pain.
If you think medication might be right for you, it's important to consult a medical doctor before making any decisions.
Doctors will prescribe anti-anxiety medication in different doses depending on your needs and personal circumstances.
They may also prescribe medications that have a dual purpose: treating depression as well as anxiety.
It should go without saying that self-medicating is never the answer to managing panic disorder or its symptoms—especially in cases where substance abuse or alcoholism are already present.
Consulting with a medical doctor will help ensure that your treatment plan is safe and effective at managing symptoms and preventing panic attacks.
Anxiety attack back pain may be eased by taking steps to calm yourself during a panic attack.
The back pain that can occur with an anxiety attack is caused by muscle tension.
Your muscles will tense up during an anxiety attack.
They may do so to the point where they are straining against one another and not working together properly.
This causes them to pull at certain spots and push at others, creating pain.
To treat this type of pain successfully, it's very important to treat the underlying cause, which is anxiety itself.
So as you work on relieving your anxiety attack back pain, keep in mind that long-term relief will come from learning how to deal with anxiety attacks more effectively so that you have fewer of them.
If you can reduce or stop your anxiety attacks altogether, then your back pain should go away too!
https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-disorders/symptoms/back-pain/
https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/back-pains
https://utswmed.org/medblog/stress-back-pain/#:~:text=An%20effective%20way%20to%20reduce,or%20try%20a%20standing%20desk.
https://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/mental-therapy/connecting-back-pain-depression-anxiety-0
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