Back pains, they’re common right? Yes. But try to say that to someone who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks and I’m sure the reaction you receive will not be too pleasant.
Back pains are extremely common with anxiety but the intensity and the frequency that they come aren’t easy to be accepted as anxiety. Especially when it’s never one type of back pain. Some days it’s the upper back, some days it’s the lower one, some days it’s the entire back. The pain could be acute, dull, sharp or it could be a burning sensation.
I personally suffered extensively from back pain during my anxiety days. There were times I felt like I had a really bad sun burn on my back. Later on, I learned that it was nerve pain, another common sensation of anxiety.
I remember waking up in the middle of the night from back pain. Doesn’t matter what kind of mattress I sleep on, what exercises I do, what medication I took, the relief was very short lived. i was in my late 20s but felt like an 80-year-old man. I had to take multiple breaks from standing and walking. Even when I was just sitting down watching a movie, I had to get up or to adjust my positions because of the pain in my back.
My back pain could get so intense and radiate to my chest or other parts of my body making me panic as I thought it could become something much more serious. Such fear caused my anxiety to get worse and more pains were to come.
Back pain with anxiety is caused mainly by muscle tension. Our muscles are extremely tough and resilient. They can take on a lot of beating and abuse. But with constant tension with little to no break, even the toughest muscle would give out and cause pain and discomfort. In some extreme situation, they can cramp up.
Long term solution is to work on your anxiety and panic attacks with the tools and information from this site. Short term solution for temporary relief can include but not limited to light exercises, meditations, massages, drinking more water, stretching and maybe pain medications.
Even though I always recommend people to work with their anxiety to ultimately eliminate their symptoms, but I do understand that short term relief is necessary for us to carry on with daily tasks. This device has helped with my back and neck pain/tightness. It also helps me fall as sleep faster at night. Hope it can help you as well.