Osteoporosis

The stress connection to low back pain is one of the more common scenarios seen with patients who are suffering from this sometimes debilitating condition. Back pain is a 60 BILLION dollar problem in the U.S. and stress is one of the biggest factors involved. Stress is defined here as anything that is having a negative affect on our nervous systems and consequently influencing our musculoskeletal systems. Stress can be dietary, physical, emotional, occupational, etc. It all counts and it is all accumulative regarding the potential to impact our physiology in a manner that is far from positive.

The U.S. is one of the most stressful countries to live in. Americans work longer hours and take less time off than the rest of the industrialized world. Dealing with ever increasing required government demands, taxes, etc. to keep the treadmill running is a fact of life here. Combine that with the Standard American Diet (SAD) and it is a recipe that guarantees physical ailments like low back pain and chronic degenerative disease. Americans consume more junk food (756 doughnuts per person per year), more refined sugar, and use more prescription drugs than any other people in the world. The different sources of stress also feed off each other. For example, many who are emotionally stressed, may find comfort in high sugar snacks or alcohol. Because of their stress they can’t sleep or have panic attacks and wind up taking prescription drugs for these problems. Their short term solutions may exacerbate the stress response in the body.