Most cases of back pain are due to one or more joints in the spine not moving properly.
When joints don’t move properly, motion-sensing nerves within the joint send a message or signal to an area of the brain that causes a release of a hormone called cortisol.
All painful and (non)painful) joint problems cause some degree of stress in the body.
All stress causes a release of Cortisol.
Continuous, prolonged exposure to cortisol causes damage to the area of the brain that makes serotonin, so less serotonin is released.
Serotonin is very important - It controls your alertness, your sleep / wake cycles, your moods, emotions, attention and ability to focus, and other feelings.
Without enough Serotonin - people often develop depression.
It is not only the back pain that causes the cortisol release, but more so - it is the loss of normal movement in the injured joint that (is the stress), that causes the release of cortisol.
- That is why taking pain medication alone won’t solve the problem – Pain Meds don’t make joints move any better.
You just get addicted to pain meds AND depression meds…
- This is also why repetitive motion exercise, such as running helps improve depression, mood swings, attention and insomnia problems.
It is joint movement that helps the problem – not pills
When you understand that it is not the back pain but what is causing the back pain… that is also making you depressed - it becomes clear that neither pain medication nor depression medication will solve the problem.
One answer for a depressed person is to use chiropractic care to resolve the cause of the back pain problem. This will relieve the physical stress that is preventing you from making serotonin and this, in turn, will reduce your depression.
