Psychosomatics of lower back pain: emotions and fears from which the back suffers

According to Louise Hay, chest pain occurs due to feelings of guilt and dwelling on the past. The person’s main thoughts in this case are: “Leave me alone.” To heal, it is important to learn to let go of the past and move forward with positive thoughts.

Other reasons include:

1. Carrying too much responsibility and workload. The difficulties in their implementation are very burdensome.
2. The role of the victim. When a person just seems to be carrying the burden alone, but no one is helping him.
3. Diffidence. At the same time, we impose feelings of guilt on others.
4. Expecting gratitude for your actions. In her absence, the opinion that everyone turned away unfairly, resentment, anger.

Lumbosacral region

The psychosomatics of lower back pain in women and men, according to Louise Hay (and another psychologist, Liz Burbo, agrees with her), means a loss of financial stability, material well-being, support or their fear.

The lower back is a reflection of a person’s attitude towards life. Pain in it is caused by a feeling of deprivation, lack of finances, love, and health. A person is constantly afraid for his future; it seems to him that he is not able to provide himself and his loved ones with a stable life and well-being. It seems that having achieved all this, he will immediately become more confident, but this is not so. He will be dissatisfied constantly until he works out the problem.

Radiculitis occurs in those who are not confident in their sexual attractiveness.

In women, the lower back may hurt from taking on male responsibilities, fear or inability to turn to others for help. She should start talking about her desires, learn to delegate responsibilities, and her vertebrae will immediately feel better.

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Coccyx

With such pain, a person is full of negative emotions, although he does not show them. It is difficult for him to find harmony, since he cannot recognize life as it is, recognize other people and their right to make mistakes, and let go of the past. This is often due to childhood psychological trauma that needs to be worked through.

Causes of back pain

There are many human health conditions that lead to pain in the spine (back and lower back). Some of them are congenital, like spina bifida, others develop with age (osteochondrosis, spondylosis, spondyloarthrosis, osteoporosis, etc.). However, most of the causes of pain in the spine (back and lower back) in the working population are associated in origin with the same type of physical activity at work (sitting behind the wheel in a car or sedentary work at a computer) and spinal injuries.

Back pain is a kind of retribution of humanity for upright walking, when the greatest load falls on the lumbar spine, which bears the main burden of the weight of the human body. Physical inactivity, poor nutrition, obesity, and stress also have a detrimental effect on the spine.

Back pain can be divided into primary and secondary.

The causes of primary pain are pathologies of the spinal column - dystrophic and functional changes in the joints of the vertebrae, intervertebral discs, muscles, tendons, ligaments.

Secondary pain is associated with traumatic lesions of the spine, tumor and infectious processes, diseases of internal organs, including the pelvic organs, osteoporosis and other pathologies. This is a kind of alarm signal about problems in the body. Low back pain has many causes, not necessarily related to spinal pathology. Particularly common causes of constant lower back pain are benign and malignant diseases of the pelvic organs in women and men (endometriosis, uterine fibroids, dysmenorrhea, inflammatory diseases of the ovaries, lesions of large vessels, kidneys, chronic prostatitis, some diseases of the nervous system).

Common causes of spinal (back and lower back) pain include:

• muscle spasm (acute or chronic);
• protrusion or herniation of the intervertebral disc (with possible pinched nerve);
• degenerative processes of the spine (osteochondrosis, spondylosis, spondylolisthesis);
• Scheerman-Mau disease;
• Bekhterev's disease;
• spinal canal stenosis;
• sacroiliitis (inflammation of the sacroiliac joint);
• arthrosis of the sacroiliac joint;
• arthrosis of the intervertebral joint (spondyloarthrosis), etc.

Lower back pain may occur if you:

• Spend a lot of time driving a car or using a computer.
• Do dynamic physical labor with sudden changes in body position (especially if your specialty involves heavy physical activity).
• You overload yourself in the gym or fitness club. Be extremely careful if you have recently started training!
• Lead a predominantly sedentary or standing lifestyle.
• Are you interested in gardening work?
• You are overweight.

Additional risks for women:

• You are pregnant or have recently given birth.
• Have reached postmenopause, which is predisposing to the development of osteoporosis.

The most common cause of lower back pain is spinal osteochondrosis, which manifests itself as a result of pinching of the nerve roots extending from the spinal cord at one level or another.

Test by doctors Holmes and Rage for psychosomatic susceptibility

Predisposition to psychosomatics is directly related to stress resistance: the higher the stress resistance, the less susceptibility. In 1967, Doctors Holmes and Rage developed a test to determine stress tolerance.

How to pass the test: select from the table those situations that have happened to you over the past year. If some event was repeated several times, then count it as many times as it happened. As a result, you need to calculate the sum of all situations (scores for each episode are shown in the table below).

Interpretation of the result:

• 200–274 points – normal level of stress, good level of stress resistance;
• 275–299 – dangerous level of stress, low resistance to stress;
• more than 300 points - any problem makes you angry; we can safely say that all your illnesses have psychosomatic causes.

It is important! If according to the test results you received a second or third result, then you need to urgently contact a psychotherapist!

Lower back pain with lumbar osteochondrosis

Lower back pain with osteochondrosis can intensify with coughing and sneezing, with any movements, especially when bending the body forward. Along with lower back pain, lumbar osteochondrosis can manifest itself as a disturbance in the sensitivity of certain areas of the skin or muscles of the lower half of the torso and legs. As a rule, with osteochondrosis, curvature of the lumbar spine is observed. Most often, lumbar osteochondrosis manifests itself as radicular pain - i.e. developing as a result of pinching of nerve roots extending from the spinal cord at one level or another.

One of the well-known lumbar syndromes is lumbago.

Psychosomatics of lower back diseases according to psychologists

We invite you to get acquainted with the theories of famous psychologists: Louise Hay, V. Zhikarentsev, Liz Burbo, V. Sinelnikov.

Louise Hay

According to Louise Hay, lower back pain means stubbornness and fatigue. Healing Affirmation: “In my life, I represent both strength and authority. I consign the past to oblivion and rely on my own strength.”

Zhikarentsev

V. Zhikarentsev sees the reason in an obsession with the past, self-blame, stubbornness, and internal disharmony. Affirmation for healing: “I am in complete balance with myself. I flow easily and gently with the flow of life. I let go of the past and the pain that was caused to me. Everything is fine in my life."

Liz Burbo

The reason is experiences caused by the inability to control other people or the situation. Healing requires relaxing and allowing other people to be themselves. You don't have to get defensive and try to please them.

Sinelnikov

The reason is fear for money and material well-being. The psychologist advises changing your thinking, since the nature of life depends only on our perception. As long as you perceive it as a burden, that’s what it will be.

Low back pain due to lumbago

Lumbago is an attack of sudden and sharp pain, as well as muscle strain in the lumbar region. Occurs, as a rule, at the time of physical activity or after it, and is provoked by overheating and subsequent cooling of the body. Suddenly, within a few minutes or hours, a sharp shooting pain (“lumbago”) appears, sometimes it has a burning and bursting character (“as if a stake was stuck in the lower back”).

The patient cannot straighten up, the back muscles are tense. The slightest movement, coughing or physical stress aggravates the pain. Pressure on the lower back causes pain. With repeated attacks of lumbago, pain often appears in the posterior or posterior surfaces of the thigh or lower leg (lumboischialgia), which indicates the involvement of the corresponding spinal roots in the pathological process. Sciatica develops as a result of pinching of a root located slightly lower than with lumbago.

Muscles

Muscular dystrophy. An insane desire to control everything and everyone. Loss of faith and trust. A deep need to feel safe. Extreme fear.

Progressive muscular dystrophy. Reluctance to accept one's own worth and dignity. Denial of success.

Muscles. Represent our ability to move through life. Resistance to new experiences.

Muscle atrophy is muscle shrinkage. Arrogance towards others. A person considers himself better than others and is ready to defend this at any cost. He doesn’t care about people, but he craves fame and power. Illness comes to help prevent mental arrogance from turning into outer violence.

Overexertion of the lower leg muscles indicates a conscious desire to rush; shrinkage means suppression of sadness. For example, all the men in the family were forced to tiptoe for fear of interfering with their mother in her eternal hurry. Men in the family were given a secondary role in household affairs. Walking on tiptoes means extreme obedience.

Muscles. Attitude towards mother and woman.

Muscle death. Excessive sadness because of one's poor athletic form or simply one's lack of physical strength.

• in men - sadness due to their male helplessness
• for women - exhaustion of oneself like a man, an attempt to overcome sadness by force.

Low back pain due to sciatica

Sciatica is lumbosacral radiculitis, a disease of the roots of the lumbosacral spinal cord and, mainly, the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica pain comes in a variety of forms. Possible types of pain and sensations include shooting pain, burning, tingling, goosebumps and numbness at the same time. Sciatica pain can be so severe that the patient is unable to sleep or perform essential activities such as sitting, standing, walking, bending, or turning.

Shooting pains occur in the buttock and along the back of the leg. As with lumbago, they intensify with changes in body position.

Lower back pain due to kidney disease

Pain in the lumbar region is one of the characteristic signs of kidney disease.

Kidney pathology is characterized by constant “dull” aching pain in the costovertebral angle on the side of the diseased kidney. Often the pain radiates (“gives”) to the hypochondrium, navel area and lower abdomen. The described pain is caused by rapid stretching of the renal capsule, for example, with swelling due to acute pyelonephritis or a blocked ureter.

Renal colic is characterized by acute paroxysmal pain. Meanwhile, many diseases - chronic pyelonephritis, hydronephrosis, malignant tumors and polycystic kidney disease - occur without pain, since they are accompanied by a very slow stretching of the renal capsule.

The difference between pain in the spine and pain in the kidneys

Signs of pain in the spine

• The pain appeared after physical activity.
• The pain intensifies when bending over or turning to the sides.
• The pain is so strong that you want to freeze in one position and not move.
• Body temperature is normal.

Signs of kidney inflammation

• There is no clear connection between pain and movement.
• The appearance of pain is not associated with physical activity.
• The day before you were hypothermic and frozen.
• Body temperature is increased to more than 37.7 degrees.
• Tapping with your hand in the area where the kidneys are located causes a sharp pain radiating inward.
• There are problems with urination and the color of urine has changed.

Possible consequences

However, rather “vague” psychosomatic causes can have fairly clear somatic consequences.

For example, pathologies of the cervical area will almost inevitably (if left untreated) lead to problems in the functioning of the brain. Pathological changes in the thoracic area will have a negative impact on the functioning of the heart and lungs.

Lumbar pathologies can provoke the diseases described in the table.

Table. Connection of vertebrae with other organs.

Psychosomatics of back pain

Sometimes back pain can be of a psychogenic nature, occurring not after lifting weights, but after suffering emotional stress or a nervous breakdown. Psychogenic pain, unlike neuralgia and myofascial pain syndrome, often intensifies at rest after intense emotional activity and occurs as a result of changes in the functional state of the nervous system.

The spine is an internal core that helps to withstand the blows of fate, the basis of the process of transmitting information that occurs in the human life system. Problems with the spine reflect a lack of support in life from family and friends. You have taken everything upon yourself, you perceive life as an unbearable burden, a constant enduring of hardships.

Each part of the back has its own psychosomatic meaning.

The upper back is responsible for the energy of love. A person feels unloved and tries with all his might to achieve favor and recognition, to earn attention and love. Dislike causes feelings of guilt, resentment, and anger. A person cannot express negativity, so an additional burden falls on his back.

The middle part of the back is hit by grievances and unresolved conflicts. A person is fixated on the past, lives with old grievances.

The lower back is the area that bears the maximum emotional load. Fear about money, how to earn it, how to improve your financial situation, leads to problems with the lower back. People with back pain can often hear the following phrases in conversation: “This is an unbearable burden for me. He put everything on his shoulders. This is my “cross” and I must carry it throughout my life.”

How to help yourself? Before you take on other people's problems, figure out your own life first. We need to restore harmony within ourselves and between ourselves and the world. You need to learn to live for today and enjoy life. Change your worldview, learn to see how the Universe supports and takes care of you throughout your life.

You can practice self-hypnosis. Write yourself a list of affirmations - short phrases containing a verbal formula that, when repeated many times, reinforce the required image or attitude in a person’s subconscious, helping to improve his psycho-emotional background and stimulating positive changes in life. For example: “I get joy from communicating with relatives”, “Every year I become healthier, I love my body, my health”, “Day and night I receive support in all matters”, etc. Only our attitude towards life turns it into a burden. You need to treat life as a game, learn to take care of your loved ones with a feeling of joy and love.

Spine structure

The spine is an elongated flexible column of bone from the head to the pelvis. Consists of 33 vertebrae, which are divided into sections:

• cervical (7 vertebrae);
• thoracic (12 vertebrae);
• lumbar (5 vertebrae);
• sacral (5 vertebrae);
• coccygeal (4 vertebrae).

This is interesting! From a psychosomatic point of view, the spine connects the past and the present and conducts vital energy. The cervical region symbolizes psychological flexibility, the thoracic region is responsible for emotions, and the lumbar region is responsible for a person’s attitude towards himself and the world.

Treatment of back pain

Considering that the same symptom can be a consequence of various diseases, any treatment should begin with a visit to the doctor and an accurate diagnosis. The insidiousness of back pain is that if you do not consult a doctor and do not eliminate the factor causing it, then it returns again and eventually becomes chronic.

There are acute (lasting up to 10 days) and chronic (lasting more than 3 months) pain, the mechanisms of development of which are fundamentally different. If the basis of acute pain is, most often, real damage to body tissues (trauma, inflammation, infectious process), then in the pathogenesis of chronic pain, changes in the central nervous system, caused by a long-term continuous flow of pain impulses from the damaged organ, come to the fore. With chronic pain, a situation is often observed when there is no real tissue damage, but the pain continues, as if “breaking away” from the original cause of the disease, and becoming an independent disease.

Drug therapy.

To improve the patient’s condition and quickly relieve pain, medications are prescribed in the form of tablets and injections: NSAIDs, painkillers, antihistamines, muscle relaxants, antispasmodics, B vitamins; for severe pain, blockades are prescribed.

Physiotherapy for back pain

Physiotherapy for back pain is a key step in the relief and treatment of pain. It is a necessary component in the prevention of complications, tissue restoration, and inflammation relief. The treatment regimen can use either one technique or several at once to enhance the therapeutic effect.

The use of physiotherapy enhances the effect of almost any medicinal substance, can help shorten the treatment time for acute diseases, reduce the duration of periods of exacerbation of chronic diseases and increase periods of remission.

There are a number of physiotherapeutic procedures used to treat back pain: ultraviolet irradiation, electrophoresis, laser therapy, acupuncture, Lyapko application therapy, physical therapy, massage, balneotherapy, mud therapy and others.

The use of physiotherapeutic treatment for acute pain is contraindicated, since with increased blood circulation, tissue swelling will increase, which will contribute to the severity of the pain syndrome. It is necessary to improve blood circulation after the acute pain has passed and the swelling begins to decrease. This is usually 2-3 days after anti-inflammatory, anti-edematous, analgesic drug treatment has been started.

The use of Lyapko application therapy in the acute period is permitted, but the individual characteristics of the patient must be taken into account. If the pain intensifies, then you need to wait 2-3 days, if it becomes easier, then continue treatment with the applicator.

Diagnostics

Therapists can figure out why a woman’s sacrum hurts.

,
gynecologists
,
surgeons
,
neurologists
,
orthopedists
and other specialists.
A therapist can conduct an initial examination, prescribe general tests, and then give a referral to a more specialized specialist. ultrasound
as the main way to diagnose pain in the sacrum .
Such a study is most effective in the presence of gynecological diseases that provoke pain in the sacrum. Ultrasound is a fairly informative method, and also safe for pregnant women. It must also be said that in gynecological pathologies, the sacrum is not the main source of pain. A woman may feel pain in the sacral area, for example, with a disease such as endometriosis. But this disease is not directly related to the incorrect location of this bone or its damaged structure. The pain simply radiates to the sacral area. x-ray
,
MRI
, and
computed tomography
also help to understand the causes of pain in the sacrum . These methods help to examine the structure of bones and soft tissues, but they are contraindicated during pregnancy. For diagnosis, patients are prescribed standard blood tests to understand whether there is inflammation in the body. An external examination and palpation is carried out, which allows you to clarify the location of the pain and determine whether it intensifies with pressure and increasing load.

Application therapy Lyapko

Lyapko applicators in various modifications (plates, rollers, application belts, application tapes) are an original, powerful device with many health-improving therapeutic capabilities.

Their action is based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine - superficial multi-needle acupuncture, as well as on the general physiological mechanisms of life.

Mechanisms of action of the applicator.

The high healing effect of Lyapko applicators is due to a combination of intense reactions:

• reflex-mechanical;
• galvano-electric;
• immunological.

Application therapy has a pronounced analgesic and antispasmodic effect. Improves blood circulation, lymph flow, microcirculation, reduces tissue swelling. Activates tissue mechanisms of immune defense, increases the level of its own opiate peptides and anti-stress hormones in the blood, reduces the level of sensitivity of pain receptors, has a positive psycho-emotional effect and, as a result, stimulates general human adaptation mechanisms. In contact with the skin, the applicator needles stimulate the release of a person’s internal medicines, engaging his “inner doctor” in the work.

It is important to note that local (local) improvement of blood circulation during application therapy occurs without additional stress on the heart, since the work of peripheral circulation increases and the heart rests at this time. This is very important for all categories of patients and, especially, with coronary heart disease, circulatory failure of 1-2 degrees, and elderly people.

For back pain, many patients experience positive dynamics from Lyapko application therapy. It is combined with all types of medication and physiotherapeutic treatment. The ease of use of Lyapko application devices and their safety make it possible to carry out such procedures at home.

After removing the applicator at the site of its application, all pores are open for 10 minutes, so to improve the healing effect, you can apply ointments and creams that have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect.

How to use the applicator, application zones

In 90% of cases it is necessary to act on the pain zone, and to increase efficiency on additional and auxiliary zones. The general formulation should always include the core area (spine area).

The main zones are located on the back surface of the torso, head, and neck.

They are named the main ones due to the fact that the areas of skin on both sides of the spine and directly above the spine are closest to the exits of the roots of the cranial and spinal nerves and other structures.

Very important meridians also pass here, which influence all organs and systems of the body in the area in which they pass, control a person’s protective energy, and influence his resistance to diseases.

Thus, multi-needle multi-metallic exposure is desirable and most effective on the area of ​​the skin surface above the spine to the right and left of the spinal column and on the back surface of the torso, head and neck. You can apply it to the spine itself.

The choice of the most important area (zone, strip, segment) of the skin on the posterior surface of the body will depend on the main diagnosis, pathology, area of ​​damage to certain organs, and the level of segmental innervation of these organs.

In the methodological recommendations for the use of Lyapko's application therapy, a schematic drawing is always given for each disease indicating the required areas of application.

Auxiliary zones are the anterior surface of the torso, head and neck. Due to the fact that the internal organs and endocrine glands are located directly under the anterior abdominal wall, under the chest, in the neck, face, exposure to them or to individual skin areas (metameres) in these areas using different metal needle applicators helps regulate, normalization, restoration, improvement and activation of the activities of these bodies. The result is achieved faster when using auxiliary zones simultaneously with the main and additional zones.

Accessory zones: zones of the skin of the lower and upper extremities, which are secondary (peripheral) in relation to the (central) structures of the spinal cord and brain.

On the inner and outer surfaces of the arms and legs there are zones of “Yin” (female) and “Yang” (male) groups of channels - meridians of organs located on a certain surface of the arms and legs, and having different groups of points that differ in purpose.

Using for applications and influencing various groups of points of certain meridian channels, we have the opportunity to further regulate (change, enhance or decrease) the activity of certain organs and systems (general action). Thus, we intensify the work when applying Lyapko applicators to the main and auxiliary zones and additionally provide a therapeutic effect.

Additional (zones of the skin of the lower and upper extremities) and auxiliary zones (the anterior surface of the torso, head and neck) should also be used in cases where, for a number of reasons, it is impossible to influence the main zone (plaster applied, wound surface). To enhance the therapeutic effect, it is advisable to include in the formulation an effect on symmetrical areas of the healthy side.

Thus, the result is achieved faster when using the main zones simultaneously with additional and auxiliary zones, or if this is not possible, then alternately.

It is recommended to use flat applicators of large sizes on the back area: Applicator “Large Mat”, “Large Needle Massage Mat”, “Chance 6.2x4”, “People’s”.

“Chamomile M”, “Quadro”, “Duet”. The larger the impact area, the better the effect.

It is also possible to use flat applicators of smaller sizes: “Needle massage pillow”, “Insoles plus”, “Chance”, “Sputnik plus”, which are placed on the pain area. In addition to the back area, to enhance the effect, it is recommended to use applicators on auxiliary zones on the front surface of the body, in the area of ​​pain projection. For example: pain in the thoracic spine - place the applicator on the sternum. The exposure time is 20–30 minutes, the course of treatment is 10–14 days, which can be repeated after a break after 1–2 weeks. Such procedures can be used in courses for a long time.

It is better to complete the session by treating the feet using the Insole Plus applicator, which can also be used on all parts of the body.

In addition to flat applicators, you can roll the area of ​​the back, front surface of the body, arms, legs with the “Large Roller M” or “Universal Roller M” until the skin becomes uniformly pink in color. They can also be used to warm up the body before a massage.

First, roll along the spine, along the intercostal spaces on one side, until a uniform pink color appears. Then, we roll the second side in the same way. Exposure time is 3–7–10 minutes depending on the individual skin reaction.

Belt “Baby”, Belt “Universal M” is attached across and along the spine to areas of pain or applied in a lying position, like a regular applicator.

You can also wrap the pain area with the “Health Magic Tape”.

The “Speck” applicator can be fixed on the pain area. Considering the small area of ​​influence, wearing is long - 1 - 3 hours.

You can use either a manual back massage or a massage using the Pharaoh massager, which can be used through thin fabric or over the body lubricated with oil or cream. The duration of the massage and its intensity determines the desired effect. Long lasting, up to 15 minutes. and more, massage promotes complete relaxation of muscles and creates a sedative (calming) effect. A short massage, 3–5–7 minutes, has a tonic (stimulating) effect. During the session, you should perform circular movements clockwise or longitudinal movements up and down.

After the massage, we recommend laying on a flat applicator for rest and relaxation.

Points on additional areas (lower and upper limbs) to relieve back pain. A small “Speck” applicator and application belts can be attached to the dot area (Fig. 1)

Fig.1

Clinical manifestations of psychosomatic disorders

If your back hurts for psychogenic reasons, additional physiological symptoms will always appear. The basis of the disorders is conversion disorder - a reaction to strong emotional experience and stress, against the background of which physical signs of pathology develop.

This term was first used by neurologist J. M. Charcot based on long-term observations of patients with acute experiences.

Symptoms of conversion disorder primarily include:

• mental disorders - panic attacks, delusions, as well as hallucinations and other similar disorders;
• problems with sensitivity – patients’ hearing and vision deteriorate, body temperature may change;
• motor changes - paresis and even paralysis, convulsions, fainting;
• autonomic changes are spontaneous muscle spasms that lead to pain in the organs and also cause headaches.

The main difference between psychogenic factors and others will be the absence of any degenerative processes in organs and systems.

Prevention of back pain

Pain in the spine (back and lower back) is much less common in people leading a sports lifestyle. Prevention of the development of spinal osteochondrosis and the appearance of pain in the spine (back and lower back) is facilitated, first of all, by regular gymnastics, sports, and active recreation. This relieves the daily workload of the same muscles, ligaments and joints of the lumbar spine.

Lyapko application therapy is a good means of preventing and treating back pain.