This is a series on low back pain. If you missed the summary of causes, go back to Part 1.

We all hold our stress in different places depending on our personalities and experience. The low back is a common place to store emotional tension according to John E. Sarno, M.D..  His book, Healing Back Pain: the mind-body connection is an excellent reference. I think we all understand from our own experience that negative emotions produce muscle tension. Some of us feel it in our low back. Dr. Sarno believes that withheld or subconscious rage is a major cause of low back pain and states that “As long as the person’s attention remains focused on the pain syndrome, there is no danger that the emotions will be revealed.” (p.49) Further, he states that “Anything that heightens anxiety will increase the severity of symptoms.”

In my Neuromuscular Therapy practice near Boston I hear this often. Just last week three patients connected the return of pain with anxious thoughts or stressful situations. On another level of understanding, both Carolyn Myss, a gifted medical intuitive and Barbara Brennan, the energy healing teacher and clairvoyant, both connect the second “chakra” (an energy center at the sacrum) with low back pain. Negative energy of that chakra Myss has found comes from events over which a person has no control such as abuse or financial loss. Brennan tags it as the emotional chakra, especially around issues of sexuality.
While repressed emotions can certainly result in pain, this is not always the case. It is an opinion that is rapidly gaining ground in medicine however, and one which anyone with chronic low back pain would benefit from exploring.