Yes, stress and anxiety can cause or worsen back pain by triggering the physiological fight or flight response that leads to chronic muscle tension, stiffness and even spasms, especially in the lower back, shoulders and neck. 

So, if you wake up with a sore back that no amount of stretching or painkillers seems to alleviate, or if you feel tense or achy after a stressful day, even though you haven’t done anything physically demanding, it may be worth considering how much stress you are currently experiencing.

My clients are often surprised that anxiety can cause physical lower or upper back pain, so if you’ve been trying to solve your back pain with cushions, massages and even chiropractors, and you’re still stuck in a cycle of discomfort, you should know that anxiety may well be playing a bigger role than you realise.

In this article, we explore the powerful connection between our emotional state and our physical state. We’ll discover how anxiety affects our back, why our scans may show nothing is wrong even though our pain is real, and what we can do to ease both the mental and physical strain on our back.

What You’ll Learn in This Article

• Why anxiety can cause persistent and mysterious back pain
• How muscle tension and your posture play a role in physical discomfort
• What research tells us about the anxiety pain connection
• How to recognise when your body is carrying emotional stress
• Simple, daily tools to reduce symptoms naturally
• The first steps to take if you’re ready to heal

Your Body Is Giving You a Message to Listen

You’ve had a tough day. You’re mentally drained, your shoulders are up near your ears, and your lower back feels tight. You stretch, reposition your chair, and maybe take a few deep breaths. But the pain is still there and no one can quite explain it.

Emotional back pain is more common than most people realise.

While we often think of stress and anxiety as something that happens in our minds, it also frequently shows up in our bodies too, especially in areas like our back, neck and shoulders.

What Happens in Our Body When We're Anxious

When we are in a state of anxiety, our nervous system automatically switches from our rest and digest mode into our fight or flight mode, which is our survival mode. This fight or flight mode is an evolutionary adaptation that prepares us to flee from danger. This was really helpful two hundred million years ago, when we were living in caves, surrounded by predators and hunting for our food. It is not so beneficial now, when our inboxes and traffic jams cause anxiety.

When we go into fight or flight mode, our:

• Muscles tense to prepare for escaping danger and we go into fight or flight mode
• Breathing becomes shallow (high up in our chest), disrupting our body’s oxygen flow
• Blood is diverted away from areas like digestion and our immune system
• Posture becomes defensive or hunched over
• Our brain stays on high alert, making pain feel more intense, and diverting away from executive (logical) functioning

When this repeatedly happens, our muscles don’t get a chance to relax and instead, they stay tight, aching and sore.

Anxiety and Back Pain

A 2022 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that individuals with high anxiety levels are significantly more sensitive to physical pain. They are also more likely to develop chronic musculoskeletal conditions like back pain.

Other studies have shown that people struggling with anxiety are twice as likely to experience disabling back pain compared to those without anxiety, and the NHS confirm that many people experience long-term back pain without any obvious reason.  In these cases, stress and mental ill health are often found to be the underlying cause. 

Is Your Back Pain Linked to Stress and Anxiety?

If you’re back pain is linked to stress and anxiety, these signs may feel familiar:

• A dull ache in the lower back or shoulders, especially during stressful times
• Sharp twinges that appear without physical injury
• Discomfort that worsens after poor sleep or overthinking
• Relief after meditation, breathing exercises, or nervous system soothing
• Stiffness that no scan, cushion or desk chair has fixed

If these symptoms sound like something you are experiencing, then your body may need emotional support, not just physical relief.

“I Was Terrified My Back Was Permanently Damaged, but It Was Anxiety”

When James, a 24 year old client, came to see me, he was exhausted and anxious, due to his stressful job in the public eye. He worked out on a regular basis and looked after his body physically. He was struggling with lower back pain and had been to see physiotherapists and chiropractors, he had scans and changed his working environment multiple times. Nothing helped. When I met him last year, he had already been to see his GP, and when they couldn't find the cause of his back pain, so he went to see a private consultant for a second opinion.

He described feeling a persistent back twinge all the time, and he was sleeping poorly and struggling to concentrate.

As we explored his anxiety, it became clear that his body was holding years of built-up emotions and stress. Once we introduced our nervous system regulation techniques and began releasing emotional tension, his back pain started to ease. Within just three sessions, he reported feeling like he was "finally relaxing and at peace for the first time in years.”

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Five Simple Ways to Ease Anxiety-Related Back Pain

Whilst an Anxiety Specialist can help you get to the root cause of your emotional pain and anxiety, there are some simple techniques you can do for yourself.

1. Use Your Breath to Release Tension

Your breath is one of the most powerful tools we have to soothe anxiety and back pain. When we’re anxious, we tend to breathe shallowly, which tightens muscles and sends ‘danger’ signals to our brain.

Try this breathing exercise:

• Breathe in slowly through your nose for 4 seconds
• Exhale gently through your mouth for 6 seconds
• Repeat for 2–3 minutes, noticing the shift in your body

Do this regularly, especially when you notice tension starting to creep in. If this feels too challenging to begin with, you can breathe in for the count of two and out for the count of four. The important part here is to ensure your out breath is longer than your in breath, and you are breathing in a slow, consistent manner. 

2. Soothe Your Nervous System Daily

If your nervous system is always alert, your back won’t get an opportunity to relax fully. These simple techniques can help to soothe your nervous system:

• Heat exposure: warm baths and showers, saunas, or place heat packs on tense areas
• Cold exposure: dipping hands in cold water, a cold face splash, or turning the shower to finish with cold water to release endorphins
• Spending time in nature: do not underestimate the power of nature. Going for walks can be very grounding. Listen to the sounds of nature and observe the colours and textures all around you, feeling the sun or the breeze on your face
• Exercise: walking, stretching or yoga practices can all help to calm our nervous system and release the happy hormones. Try walking barefoot around your garden and notice how this feels
• Look up: we are so used to looking down at our phones, however, looking down sends signals to our body that we are unsafe, as this is where all our predators were. Try looking upwards instead and notice how you feel different

• Humming and gargling: both activate the vagus nerve, which plays a key role in calming the body
  

These may all seem small strategies, but when practised consistently, they help your body learn how to feel safe again.

3. Move with Kindness

Back pain makes many people afraid to move. But the right kind of movement is essential for recovery. Try gentle, mindful practices like:

• Stretching daily, especially the spine and hips
• Desk yoga or posture resets every 30 minutes
• Walking slowly and steadily, even for five minutes
• Cat–cow, child's pose and spinal twists

The goal isn’t intensity, it’s consistency and connection with your body. As with all exercise, start slowly and build on your practice.

4. Journaling

Many of my clients carry emotional pressure in their muscles because they lacked a safe outlet for their thoughts. Journaling is an excellent way of getting your thoughts out of your head and onto paper, where you can then look at them objectively.

Prompts to try: "What emotions am I feeling today?" followed by "How do I want to feel instead?"

This helps connect emotional stress to physical sensation. The more awareness we build, the more we can release.

I always conclude my journaling with a gratitude practice, asking myself what three things I am grateful for at that moment. These can be really simple things, try not to overthink it. 

You can download my complete list of journaling questions here.

5. Get Support from Someone Who Understands Both Mind and Body

Many traditional approaches treat back pain in isolation. But your body is always communicating with your mind. Working with someone who understands anxiety, stress, and the nervous system can help you heal in a more lasting way.

At Better Your Life, this is exactly what we do, both online and in person.

You don't have to face anxiety and back pain alone. Many people find themselves trapped in cycles of worry, panic, and exhaustion that seem impossible to break free from.

What if you could finally understand why your body reacts the way it does?

 

Working with an anxiety specialist isn't just about talking through your problems. It's about discovering the specific triggers that send your nervous system into overdrive, learning proven techniques to restore calm, and gaining real tools to reshape both your mind and body.

At Better Your Life, we go deeper than traditional approaches.

 

While many therapists offer surface-level solutions like standard CBT, we combine Nervous System Therapy with Behaviour Therapy, drawing from cutting-edge research in Emotional Change, NLP, and Neuroscience.

This isn't about quick fixes, it's about addressing anxiety at its very foundation.

For anyone struggling with back pain, this approach can be life-changing. With the proper support, you can learn to work with your body rather than against it.

Click the button below to arrange a free, no obligation consultation call.

Many of our clients also benefit from downloading the Circle of Control Workbook. It helps them feel empowered instead of feeling that way. You can click the link below to access a free copy.

FAQs: What Clients Ask Me About Anxiety and Back Pain

Can Anxiety Really Cause Back Pain?

Yes, absolutely. Chronic muscle tension, poor posture and an overactive nervous system all contribute to back pain, and anxiety fuels all three.

Why Does My Back Hurt When I’m Stressed?

When you're stressed, your muscles tighten, especially in the back and shoulders. Over time, this can lead to soreness, aches and pains, and even inflammation.

I’ve Had Scans and Nothing Shows Up. What Now?

This is very common. It means your pain may be linked to stress, nervous system activation or emotional holding patterns. It’s still very real and very treatable.

How Long Will It Take for My Back to Get Better?

Every person is different. Many of my clients feel noticeable improvement within just a few sessions once we begin soothing the nervous system.

Download the Anxious Thoughts Diary Workbook to help you relieve the pressure and reduce the spiral of anxious overthinking.

You Deserve to Feel Safe in Your Body Again

If you’ve been battling both anxiety and back pain, please know you are not alone.

It’s incredibly frustrating when you’re doing all the right things but still don’t feel better. If you haven’t yet addressed the emotional root of the pain, there is still hope.

You don’t need to struggle alone. Now is the right time to take back control of your life and free yourself from those anxious thoughts and pains.