back pain and anxiety

[markerwin]

Can an old lower back injury cause anxiety ?

[osceola]

Did something happen to aggravate the old injury? I agree you should certainly get everything medically checked out. I went thru a total breakdown (horrendous anxiety and depression) which started with lower back pain. It did not help that a friend of mine had a herniated disc at the same time, and  so I began thinking I had the same thing. I started the catastophic thinking cascade--i will never get better, I will be disabled,my husband will leave me, etc. Then a whole other slew of physical symtoms began to appear. Finally, it wasn't even about back pain anymore. I was just anxious about being anxious. It was just global fear. I finally saw a great doctor who gave me objective proof that there were no significant structural abnormalities. He was also a doc who understood the mind body connection and that the mind can actually create and/or exacerbate pain. He referred me to a book called "Healing Back Pain, The Mind-Body Connection" by John Sarno. I can't even describe how that book transformed my thinking. In additon to therapy, it was a tremendous factor in helping me get well mentally.  I still experience a "twinge"  in my back now and then but I have realized that it is related to stress and my emotions and knowing that helps me be more objective ,not panicked.

[liv4now25]

Well, it did for me.  In fact, that is how my old friend "panic" crept up on me recently.  I injured my neck, which has caused a whole slew of symptoms like my arm becoming numb along with acute neck pain and back spasms.  Intellectually, I knew I had done something, but my anxiety led me to a road of other possibilities, like some sort of malignant tumor, stroke or heart attach.  Of course, it's not. I have a pinched nerve, but the pain started the anxiety, which started the panic attacks, etc.  I am sure stress at work hasn't helped either.  

It can't hurt to have a doctor take a look at your back, though.  

[RubyWitch]

Hmmmmmmmm. I don't really know. How's that for some real support? Is your back problem acting up again? My first reaction is to say that I don't think it should cause you any anxiety, not if you know what's going on. But if your anxiety is stemming from the recurrence of this back problem, then maybe it can. So it's perhaps one of those six to one, half a dozen to the other kind of things? I would suggest a visit to your doc for a discussion of these questions and a look see at what your back is doing.
Sorry for the wimpy response. Hopefully someone else will wade in with something more profound than "I dunno!"
Peace
Greenlydia