Back pain serves as one of the top reasons for people taking time away from work. Despite this, many people continue to treat it as though it is no big deal.
In reality, back pain has the ability to completely turn a person’s life upside down.
Trivializing back pain
Mayo Clinic talks about back pain in workers. Many different types of workers end up with back pain because of the physical demands of their jobs. Whether it is someone standing on their feet all day or lifting heavy equipment, or someone who stays seated with no chance to take stretch breaks, back pain can haunt anyone.
Back pain is also often trivialized due to how common it is. In reality, back pain can easily get to the point where it is so painful for the sufferer that they can no longer accomplish normal daily tasks like taking showers or cooking food without hurting.
Of course, this greatly impacts a person’s ability to do their job. But more than that, it can also impact their overall health both physically and mentally.
Chronic pain and mental health
Chronic pain of any sort often has high co-morbidity rates with mental health issues like depression and anxiety. As sufferers continue struggling through these difficult times with little or no improvement, they may grow despondent and distant from loved ones. Even their personality may change.
Of course, being unable to work and support oneself can also have a horrific negative impact. This is why so many people who suffer from severe or chronic back pain end up struggling in all areas of life.