Chronic Stress, Chronic Pain and Mom...

Chronic stress and chronic pain.... is there a connection? 

Have you wondered about the connection between chronic stress and chronic pain? Consider this, you have been hunkered down in front of a spreadsheet doing the turtle pose at your desk all morning when your boss calls you into her office. Your client is in another bad mood and now so is she. You’ve already spent 25 hours over the last two days in front of a computer screen and it’s still not good enough. Is it any wonder why you have a headache and back pain?

Moms typically make 90% of the health care decisions for the family. Dad, make sure she stays healthy or the family won't be.

Let’s take the above example and analyze it. First of all, your body position at a computer is bad for you even when you are using your best posture. Secondly, hours on end of sitting and staring at a screen will cause you to start to bend forward creating strain throughout your spinal muscles. You will also chronically shorten your hip flexors causing lower back pain. Then you end up in an intense discussion with your boss and your shoulders end up by your ears due to stress. Your body recreates this cycle again and again leading to chronic pain.

Let’s take another example. You and your husband haven’t been getting along lately. When you come home, you are already stressed and irritable from a long day at work and so is he. Your body is tight and muscles are already shortened due to your habit of holding tension in your shoulders. You come home and want to relax and immediately you two start bickering with each other about the kids. You're tired, exhausted and irritated so you make a quick meal of hamburger helper and have a diet soda.  The bickering ends for the night, the headache begins. You go to bed and your body is tense and tight all night because you are sleeping next to your worthy opponent all night and are still angry. When you wake up you wonder why your neck is sore and stiff. Then you go to work and do it all over again.

Chronic stress causes chronic pain. If you can manage your stress you can improve your pain as well as your emotional, physical and social well being. Try thinking well. - Drive your car around the block one more time to relieve some stress before pulling in the driveway and exploding at everyone.  Try moving well. - Consider a brisk 20 minute walk after parking your car and going inside. This will help warm the muscles and loosen some tension and relieve some emotional stress which has building in your nervous system all day at work. Try eating well. - Try preparing healthy meals ahead of time in case of days like this...where you don't feel like cooking.  Try chiropractic, it will break your pain cycle and help you manage your stress better (staying well adjusted will better adapt you to stress) as well as prevent it from accumulating in your body's nervous system. 

Give your Elkhorn Wellness Chiropractor a call today!  Experience Life Subluxation-Free!