The Connection Between Stress, Anxiety, and Neck Pain Nobody Talks About

Chronic stress and neck pain go hand in hand. Stressful situations in Austin often include looming deadlines, financial strain, and relationship issues. When you encounter one of these stressors, your body releases a stress response. Among other physiological responses to stress, your neck muscles tense up. There is a strong connection between the mind and body that you need to understand to achieve lasting relief.

How Stress Causes Neck Pain (& vice versa)

Your diaphragm contracts and relaxes to produce normal, quiet breathing. When you become anxious, your breathing automatically shifts from your diaphragm to your neck muscles and shoulders. Muscles in your neck including the scalenes and SCM are accessory muscles of breathing. This means they're intended for exertion over short periods of time, not continual work. Overusing these muscles can lead to stiffness, muscle soreness, and referred pain to your upper back, shoulder, or arm.

Stress also affects your sympathetic nervous system, also known as your "fight or flight" response. Your body pumps you full of adrenaline and cortisol which causes you to tense up, starting with your neck and shoulders. Evolutionarily speaking, this was great! When our ancestors were stressed they had to run from hungry lions or fight off attackers. Your body wouldn't allow you to tense up your neck and shoulders while running long distances or engaging in intense physical activity. Your ancestors were able to relax their neck muscles when the stress was gone. But what happens when you don't ever let your neck muscles relax? (Hint: We see you staring at that computer screen.)

When the brain perceives a stressful event it triggers muscle tension which causes neck pain and anxiety. The pain causes stress because it interferes with your sleep, work productivity, and daily tasks. This starts you down a path of worrying about the pain which causes more tension. Researchers have found there to be a strong association between anxiety disorders and neck pain. Anxiety causes neck pain, and tense muscles increase the intensity of pain signals sent to the brain. In order to treat stress-related neck pain, both the physical pain and mental health must be treated together. Treating one symptom will only provide temporary relief.

How Do I Know if my Neck Pain is Stress Related?

Can stress cause neck pain? Stress isn't the only cause of neck pain. Injury and arthritis are a few of many possibilities. Here's how to recognize if stress or anxiety is the root cause of your neck pain.

Time of Day Pain Occurs – Stress-related neck pain typically worsens as the day progresses. You may find your neck hurts the most during work hours but feel better after resting on the weekends. Pain caused by structural problems in the neck typically remains the same throughout the day.

Headaches – Tension headaches often accompany stress-related neck pain. They typically start at the base of the skull and spread to your temples. Stress headaches can improve with stress-relieving practices.

Jaw Clenching / TMJ Symptoms – Another side effect of stress is clenching or grinding your teeth. You may notice your jaw feels tired when you're stressed, or you may have symptoms of bruxism (tooth grinding). Other symptoms that occur with jaw tension include pain when opening your mouth wide as the jaw joints may click.

Other clues include pain that moves around your neck and upper back, relief with massage or heat packs, and improvement with stress-relieving practices such as meditation or exercise. If you notice your neck pain follows these patterns, it's likely due to stress and anxiety.

How to Stop the Stress – Neck Pain Cycle

The good news is there are ways to break this cycle and relieve your neck pain at the source. It will take some time and multiple treatment options focused on different parts of the problem to heal.

Diaphragmatic Breathing (Correct Your Breathing)

Ready to break the neck pain cycle? The answer is staring you in the face.

Breath From Your Belly:

Diaphragmatic breathing is simpler than it sounds. When you're stressed, you breathe shallow chest breaths causing you to overwork your neck muscles. Belly breathing allows those stressed-out neck muscles to relax.

Lie down and place one hand on your chest and another on your belly. Breathe in through your nose trying to only raise the hand on your belly. Exhale slowly. Repeat this exercise for 5-10 minutes 2-3 times per day. It will feel strange at first and you may not get it perfect, but that's ok! With practice you'll start to default back to this type of breathing without even thinking about it.

Give Your Neck a Break

Staring at a screen all day isn't doing your stress or neck pain any favors. Here's an easy trick you can start doing today to help. Every 20 minutes, shift your gaze to something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This simple exercise resets your neck posture and takes the weight off your shoulders. Try positioning your computer monitor so you don't have to look down or tilt your head to see your screen. Make sure your feet can touch the ground when sitting at your desk.

Get Professional Help

Just like deep breathing and better posture took years to create your neck pain, it will take time (and manual therapy) to feel better. A trained physical therapist can provide hands-on care to help your neck pain.

Here at Carter Physiotherapy in Austin, our therapists provide:

• Manual trigger point release – Physical therapists use their hands to apply pressure to your knots to help them release.
• Myofascial release – Stretching the tight tissue surrounding your neck muscles.
• Neck joint mobilization – Physical therapists move your neck joints in specific ways to help them regain normal motion.

Our therapists can identify the underlying cause of your neck pain and provide treatment that targets the root cause. They'll also show you how to prevent neck pain in the future by addressing your personal stressors and lifestyle.

Our Toolbox For Stress-Related Neck Pain

Stress and anxiety cause neck pain, and neck pain causes stress. It all comes full circle. You have to treat both the mind and body to feel better. Use belly breathing, improve your posture, manage your stress, and seek manual therapy if needed to break the pain cycle. Find lasting relief from your neck pain with Carter Physiotherapy.

Stress and Neck Pain FAQs

Can Stress Cause Vertigo?

Yes! Neck pain and stress can cause vertigo and dizziness. Tight neck muscles can restrict blood flow to the brain and irritate nerves that help with balance. Your body's balance system is already on high alert from anxiety. So any sudden movement can make you feel like the room is spinning. This condition is even given a fancy name "cervicogenic dizziness." The best way to treat it is to address both the physical and mental aspects of neck pain.

How Can I Stop Clenching My Jaw?

Anxiety can cause neck pain through your jaw muscles and temporomandibular joint (aka jaw joint). Here's how to stop clenching your jaw:

• Place reminders around your house or office to relax your jaw. Keep your lips together, teeth apart, and tongue on the roof of your mouth.
• Practice stress relief! Try meditation, exercising, or seeing a counselor to help ease your overall anxiety.
• Get a night guard. A custom night guard provided by your dentist can help protect your teeth from grinding at night.
• Try manual therapy. Massage can help release tension in the jaw and temples.

Does Magnesium Help With Stress?

Magnesium helps relax muscles and support the nervous system. It prevents muscles from over contracting and increases GABA (a calming neurotransmitter that eases anxiety).

Many people are deficient in magnesium due to stress depleting your body of it. Supplementing with 300-400mg daily of magnesium glycinate or citrate can help with muscle cramps, insomnia, and anxiety.

Remember, this isn't a quick fix. Use this in conjunction with stress-relief techniques, good posture habits, and manual therapy if necessary. Always consult your doctor before beginning any supplements.

What Exercises Relieve Tech Neck?

Looking down at your phone all day causes stress and neck pain by placing your neck in awkward positions. Here are some exercises you can do to counteract tech neck.

• Chin tucks: Sit or stand up tall and pull your chin straight back (like you're making a double chin). Hold for 5 seconds. Do 10 reps twice a day.
• Scapular squeezes: Sit upright and squeeze your shoulder blades together as if you're holding a pencil. Hold for 5 seconds. Do 15 repetitions.
• Doorway pec stretch: Place your forearms on a doorway with elbows at shoulder height. Lean forward until you feel a stretch across your chest. Hold for 30 seconds.
• Cat-cow stretches: Get on all fours, inhale as you drop your belly towards the ground while arching your back. Exhale as you draw your belly button to your spine and cows your back towards the ceiling. Repeat slowly.