In Part 1, Nathan explained how mechanical factors can cause continued stress and therefore ongoing mechanical pain after an injury has healed, and what can be done to fix this.
In this post, Nathan expands on how work, lifestyle, ill-health, mental health and even beliefs about whether the pain will go or not influence ongoing pain.
- Workplace factors can contribute to ongoing or repeated neck or back pain. From what you do at work, to how you sit and use your computer, to how you lift things if you do manual labour, to mental stress and workplace relationships. These all need to be looked at and addressed if they are part of what’s preventing you from complete recovery.
- Other health issues can make it harder for your body to get over an injury. This includes medical issues such as diabetes and arthritic conditions, but also lifestyle factors like being overweight or smoking. These can and do impact neck and back pain, so if this is you, make sure you address them.
- Mental health issues can be the biggest factor of all. If you suffer depression or anxiety, you are more likely to having ongoing or repeated pain. Whilst Physiotherapists do not treat mental health issues directly, a regular exercise regime is often the best medicine. And of course with the help of your GP we can assist in referring on to the best practitioner to help.
- And lastly, amazingly, simply believing your problem will be ongoing has been shown by research to be perhaps the most common cause of ongoing pain. Because pain doesn’t only come from tissue damage. Pain can exist due to your brain thinking you’re in danger of tissue damage. Because pain evolved to protect us from getting damaged . This is a whole topic within itself. But the answer? See your Physio, have the exact causes of your ongoing or repeated neck or back pain identified and addressed, and put your mind at ease. This can be in itself the most important and powerful way to stop feeling pain.
There’s a lot there. And I’ve only just scratched the surface in explaining each individual cause. In many people there isn’t just one cause, but a combination of causes for ongoing or repeated neck or back pain. But don’t worry – if you see a Physio who has the knowledge base and takes the time and care to sift through all possible causes of your pain, it will resolve. Start by exercising and being healthier and more positive about your pain, and then come and see a Back In Motion Physio for a complete and holistic assessment and action plan.