Ask Dr. Tim: When I was driving about one hour from home my back started “killing me”.

I returned a few weeks ago from a fun-filled week hiking on the coast with some buddies. While I have a history of back pain, carrying the heavy pack all week didn’t bother me at all. We did some rock climbing and carried a lot of firewood. Oddly, when I was driving about one hour from home my back started “killing me”. The fact is that this similar thing has happened before. I went to my doctor and he could find nothing wrong…again. He suggested it might be some sort of a response to stress. That sounds crazy to me. What do you think?

Jack

Dear Jack,

Assuming you got a throughout exam from your doctor, he may be onto something. I have worked with numerous people who have a physical reaction to stress. In fact it is estimated that 80% of the people who see their primary care physician are there for stress related “medial” reasons, even though they are unaware of such.

It may be an interesting exercise for you to think about why you may not want to be returning home from these trips. How is your home-life? How is your work-life? The body often speaks when the voice is silent. Be sure to note that while this may “sound crazy” to you, it is not. And particularly, you are not “crazy”.

Dr. Tim