The sub-heading might come to you as a surprise. The fact remains, however, that psychological problems can sometimes cause and often aggravate backaches. You may not realize how intimately your body and mind are inter-related. Separating bodily aches from the more ethereal aches of the soul is a less straightforward task than you might think.

It is not rare for severely depressed or anxiety-affected patients to focus on the lower back as the source of their pain. These patients are neither 'faking' nor 'carping', because to them, the pain 'feels' absolutely real.

Below are some examples of psychological causes producing backaches..

The 'You owe me' back pain : Insurance companies who have to deal with accident-compensation cases sometimes come across this phenomenon. The backache lasts until all legal and financial questions of a compensation case are settled, and then miraculously disappears.

It is quite probable that long standing psychological problems and chronic mental stress bring about a chronic tension in the body-muscles. And back rendered vulnerable due to our sedentary life-style, becomes the victim of pain.

It should be noted that all backaches, irrespective of their causes, give rise to a certain amount of anxiety and mental tension which, in turn, aggravate the back pain. Thus, a vicious circle is formed.