General Posture & Depression

[Toria]

This could be an odd - and possibly long - post!

For over a month now I have been having trouble with my back, and had pain somewhere around my shoulder blades.

It started the week before we were supposed to be on holiday - I know I was slumping over my desk at work. I was tired and so looking forward to some time off.

The time off was a :poop: from the start. If you want the gory details they are in my diary. The short version is Husband decided he would rather go in to work and on one of the two days he did take off (our 9th wedding anniversary) I got the F word thrown in my face.

My back got worse that week - I could feel my posture getting worse and my shoulders getting more and more slumped the more miserable I became.

I've always said that when Husband has a go I can feel myself deflate just a little bit more - but now I'm starting to wonder if I am actually acting this out physically?

I bought some heat patches, but can't reach round to put them on. I have Deep Heat, but likewise - Husband says that if I want it rubbing I need to rub something of his first... :sorry:

So here I am - rub-less and in pain.

Has anyone else come across depression (with a small d in my case) and a link to posture and therefore pain - or is it just me being an oddity again?

 

[AngelKeeperJ]

Absolutely depression/stress causes a physical reaction. All of our body is connected, and when one part hurts, the others 'jump in' and join the tension. My therapist noticed when we talk about the more difficult parts of my issues, that's when I start rubbing my neck, shoulders, and between my shoulder blades. If you work a desk job, it's worse.

Some pain relief treatments are in spray form for those of us who don't have someone to rub the areas we can't reach. Try really hard to do slow 'shoulder rolls' (up and around gently) and slowly turn your head from left to right, up a bit, then down a bit. Stretch slowly, and change postures when you can.

Physical pain seems to make everything just a bit worse!

Good luck & I'm sending hugs & blessings your way!:hug:

AKJ

 

[LEMMING]

Bless you Toria, I relate to your story. My depression made me react physically too.

Have you tried a chiropractor? The pain could be made worse by unaligned discs or muscle tightness. The lovely peace and quiet, and the massage, help alleviate the depression for a short while, and you're doing something for yourself, showing yourself some love. I do hope you feel better soon. Big hugs if needed.

 

[arfie]

An unwavering yes in my own case. I swing to the extremes. Muscle aches from disuse (slump, et al) and another for over use. Carpal tunel being my diagnosed set for over use, but I believe I have others. Places where I clench up more often than I slump. Awareness and balance are the best medicine I have found. Once I am aware of the ache, balancing it is often easy. The chronic spots are tougher. Habits die hard...

 

[mamachick]

I am so sorry, and yes I agree, emotional pain comes out physically. Something happened (I wont go into) but instead of h being helpful and supportive, he yelled and me and blamed me. I ended up with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. I had a newborn and 18 month old as well as 7th grader. Keep in mind, nursing, nurturing, and nursing again wears on the body also. We are only as strong as our weakest link.

If you can afford to, I would schedule a therapeutic massage. I use to get them regularly when I could afford and it was very helpful.

 

[keifer]

I have severe tension headaches. I've tried massages, etc. The only thing I can get to work is have my shoulders relax by using the bridge in ptsd yoga where I end up pushing my shoulder muscles down as I lift my butt in the air. I also use the meditation breath and try to feel the relax as I breath out.

 

[DMerish]

Hi Toria,

I'm sorry your 9th anniversary turned out to be less than wonderful :(

I don't think you're an oddity at all! I think mental/emotional states can and do contribute to physical maladies and vice versa a lot!

What emotions or attitudes do you notice that coincide with your physical pain?

I used to experience back pain between my shoulder blades. I noticed it also coincided with my posture not being as erect as it could be, thoughts of being oppressed by circumstances and feelings of self-pity. Once I made those observations, I went for chiropractic and massage care and took some steps to alleviate feelings of being oppressed.

Now, whenever I find myself slumping or feeling the pain between my shoulder blades its a reminder to me to change my posture, my attitude towards my self, and that I need to do something to change my circumstances so I'm not feeling oppressed or so depressed. My first step is usually to use an electric heating pad on my back to help relax the surrounding muscles. It really helps.

Drew

 

[amethist]

Oh Toria I know how you feel here, mine is tooth ache from anxiety and knee pain from tension.

My GP said it all should ease as hubby gets better. MMM and how long is that going to take. ????

 

[franciemarnie]

Sudden severe back pain that isn't related to a physical malady is associated with lack of support or sudden withdrawal of support.

I got it recently in regard to my brother. In my 20's, I got it after being fired.

The pain was so bad back then that I've done 200 crunches a day to build back muscle for 30 years. So when I got it again recently and there was no physiological cause, I knew that was intense emotional pain. I went to an energy healer and it was fantastic.

Also, a sea salt bath helped.

I sure hope your pain subsides soon.

 

[Fraser46]

Depression and stress can cause a huge amount of muscle tension and I often get back pain. Might be worth seeing a chiropractor or looking into a massage. I tend to tense up my muscles without realising and this can cause headaches, muscle pain and cramp. A nice hot bath can sometimes help too.

 

[Springer80]

Toria, your husband sounds like a mean piece of work. Id start taking care of my own recovery and leave him out of it.

 

[Abstract]

When depression gets to the point where it is clinical depression then there are many physical reactions and some of those are body aches and pains. I think it is way more than posture although postural behaviour will almost always create muscle aches and pains.

Apparently there is a chemical component to it. Depression is physiological as well as being psychological. The brain chemistry goes totally out of balance and those body chemicals control many things.

As for bad posture as a reaction to emotional distress it absolutely does create pain symptoms. I recommend pilates as it is so helpful for this.