New Study Shows Depression Can Lead to Back Pain

May 25, 2007
by: Stephanie

Chronic pain is not just a physical problem, it pervades every aspect of one's life, including emotions, mood, behavior and ability to function at even a basic level in everyday life. Major depression is thought to be four times greater in people with chronic back pain than in the general population. Let's face it, pain is depressing.

Now, however, a recent study has shown that depression can lead to development of back pain.

The three-year prospective study of 148 people aged 35 to 70 years showed that depression was actually a stronger predictor of an individual's propensity to develop low back pain than the results of MRI scans of the spine. None of the study participants had back pain at the start of the study, but 67% developed back pain during the three-year study. Those who reported depression when the study began were 2.3 times as likely to develop back pain as those who didn’t report depression.

In contrast, any progression of anatomic abnormalities, as seen on MRI, was infrequently and only occasionally associated with new onset of back pain.

Source: Spine (Volume 30, page 1541).

Posted by: Stephanie