We are all exposed to stress, whether in our professional activity or our daily life. Achieving goals, chasing time or having to make difficult decisions are enough to cause tension, overwork and stress. This state of anxiety then leads to muscle contractures and consequently back pain. It is essential to identify these sources of stress in order to better protect yourself from them …

How is stress expressed through our body?

Stress is very often the source of muscle tension due to the tightening of the muscles: by stretching, the muscles lock themselves out and weaken the back.

Stress causes bad posture … which leads to back pain

An anxious person will tend to prefer the so-called “asymmetrical” postures: crossed legs, raised shoulders or even hunched back. These bad postures cause pain in the lower back and neck. Indeed, the neck, head and shoulders are areas particularly receptive to tension.

These back pains act like a memory card of our emotions

The back is a part extremely sensitive to shocks and nervous tensions. It memorizes your emotions and preserves the physical and psychological traumas often linked to stress. It is therefore important to learn not only to identify the cause of stress, but also to deal with it without tense up.

A bad postural “reflex” habit in the face of stress will only further damage your back. Adapting your posture well is also learning to tame your stress, but also to face it. It is therefore essential to promote muscle relaxation through various exercises.

How to tame stress to protect your back?

Learning to manage stress also helps protect your back. Back pain and stress being very often linked, it is important to know how to deal with it. There are several solutions for this:

• Breathing

  Breathing well allows you to relax and relax your muscles to avoid painful contractures. 

• Practice physical activity

  Muscle relaxation makes it more difficult to maintain our back properly, which can lead to back pain. It is therefore essential to strengthen your back to strengthen the power of your muscles and thus maintain your spine properly.

  Yoga or Pilates for example can be beneficial. These two disciplines link relaxation and breathing, to bring the body back into optimal alignment through gentle stretching, ideal in times of great stress. These two sports will allow you to strengthen your back which is essential to arm yourself against back pain.

  In addition, physical activities should be favored in order to avoid prolonged static positions.

  Walking is also a good alternative to stress. Walking for ten minutes is enough to attract your attention elsewhere and release the anxiety present. This activity accessible to all helps to build the back gently at the same time. 

• The massage

  It allows you to take a break with gentleness and serenity. Relaxing muscle contractures and releasing tension is beneficial in combating stress. Taking a few minutes for yourself daily is essential.

However, it is possible that despite these many tips, stress invades you and triggers painful muscle contractions, a muscle relaxant is recommended. It will help to relax the muscles and thus reduce the pain.

The PasseportSante.net team