Emotional problems often contribute to the development of backache. This seems particularly true of a type of low- back pain that is accompanied by stiffness, difficulty in bending and moving, and shooting pains in the buttocks and legs.
Backache is widely considered a symptom of overburdened people. A muscle spasm may be the result of depression of anxiety. Suspect depression as an underlying cause if your backache is accompanied by constipation, sleeping difficulties, loss of appetite or weight, and impotence or loss of interest in sex. Other clues to depression include sadness, feelings of guilt, and thoughts of suicide or death. A stressful life-style is often marked by problems with memory, concentration, and decision-making. Look for an emotional cause if around the time your backache begins, you crave being alone, you neglect your appearance, you fall down on your job, or you lose interest in favorite activities.
When emotional problems contribute to backache, psychotherapy and medication are often beneficial.
Much psychogenic backache is due to the failure of the back muscles to balance correctly because of abnormal tension. With the pain further muscular contraction occurs, intensifying the symptoms. A study of workers in heavy industry found that four out of five of the backaches was caused or largely by emotional factors.