Sneezing is a standard action of our life, while there are some advantages of it which give us a reason to sneeze, however, when it occurs, it can bring some unusual changes like a feeling of pain in the chest. In result of that condition, performing wrong actions like blocking the sneeze is not considered to be a suitable solution. Sneezing is a respiratory tract phenomenon that creates an abrupt increase in the intra-abdominal pressure due to contraction of the diaphragm muscle along with the abdominal wall muscles. The end result is, in this reflex reaction, the expulsion.
Some people with upper or mid-back pain feel pain when they sneeze or cough. Similarly, you may also feel upper back pain when you take a deep breath because the vertebrae (the spinal bones) in your upper back (also known as the thoracic spine) are connected to the ribs. Doctors help you with trusted information about Back Pain in Thoracic (Upper Back) Strain: Dr. Miller on upper back pain when sneezing: Sounds as if either there's traction on the cord sometimes referred to as a tethered cord.or you may be experiencing a funny thing called Lhermitte's sign though your description's not classic.
Back pain from sneezing is a common result of an innocent and virtually uncontrollable trigger. Sneezing is a reflex action in response to some irritant or health issue. It is almost impossible to prevent yourself from sneezing all the time. For patients who suffer flare-ups of back pain when sneezing, this situation can be a frightening torture each time a sneeze feels imminent.
It should be made clear that sneezing is not a pathological activity and will certainly not be the likely cause of back pain unto itself. In virtually all instances, sneezing will simply act as a trigger for pain to begin through various mechanisms which will be detailed during the course of this discussion.
This dialog provides an interesting view of the relationship between sneezing and the acute flare-up of back pain.
Back Pain from Sneezing Scenarios
We often receive letters from concerned patients telling how they were struck with sudden and often very severe back pain following a violent sneeze. These people are often terrified that such an innocent occurrence could have such a profound and horrific effect on their health and are literally begging for help in getting rid of their pain or at least in understanding it better.
In many instances, these letters come from people with existing chronic back pain that is known to worsen with various trigger mechanisms, including sneezing, or any type of jarring motion or action. In other cases, there is no history of back pain, but an extreme presentation appears out of nowhere after a particularly violent sneeze.
Rarely, we receive a different type of letter from a person who has chronic allergies or some long-term health issue that makes them prone to sneezing often and vigorously. Over time, some of these people begin to suffer the onset of back pain, rarely in acute form, but more of a dull, sore nature that is widespread across much of the musculature of the dorsal region.
Back Pain from Sneezing Causes
Let’s look at the typical case of back pain from sneezing first. In these instances, pain may or may not be an existing burden, but sneezing causes a sudden and torturous presentation of symptoms, most often in the lower back, but occasionally in the upper back or neck. What could possibly be happening in these scenarios to warrant such agonizing pain?
The most logical explanation is that the mind is using the trigger of sneezing as the perfect opportunity to commence an ischemia pain syndrome. Oxygen deprivation back pain can occur very quickly, especially when the mind is trying to give the syndrome structural plausibility by acute presentation. This makes the event seem linked to some injury. We see these cases often and usually, the patient has a history of tension in the back muscles and a particular personality type that tends to attract such mindbody interactions. Of course the pain seems so physically-motivated that this most logical explanation is rarely considered by doctors or, more importantly, by the patient themselves, providing the perfect smokescreen for the condition to blossom into a real health crisis that might lead to chronic symptomology.
However, not all cases of acute onset are due directly to mindbody trigger mechanism. Some people are tense and may suffer actual muscular strain from a strong sneeze. Healthy, flexible back muscles will not be susceptible to this type of injury, but stiff, taut and imbalanced muscles might. Stress is a primary reason for this type of chronic muscular tension. Tense muscles are more easily injured, which might explain some strong pain problems which begin immediately after sneezing. However, these types of structural pain will not endure, and should resolve within a few hours to a few days. If they persist, structural injury is unlikely as the true cause.
Far less commonly, pressure in and around the spine can lead to spontaneous herniation or rupture of a spinal disc. In the elderly or in compromised individuals, low bone density might contribute to compression fractures due to the strain of a violent sneeze. These circumstances will both leave obvious evidence of their occurrence and it must be mentioned that neither disc herniation, nor compression fracture, will inherently necessitate pain, as many cases are completely asymptomatic, especially at onset.
Cases where patients have a history of chronic sneezing often involve repetitive strain of the back muscles, particularly in unhealthy and unfit people. In less common cases, there might be some underlying source of muscular or spinal pain that is being continuously exacerbated by the repetitive sneezing. All of these circumstances should be investigated by a physician or physical therapist for best outcomes.
Preventing Back Pain from Sneezing
It is virtually impossible not to sneeze, at least sometimes. Therefore, it is best to approach the problem from a holistic point of view and undermine the chances of suffering back pain by quality prevention efforts:
First, do everything possible to stay healthy. This includes eating a proper diet, maintaining proper posture and avoiding bad lifestyle choices, like drugs, alcohol and obesity.
Second, be sure to keep your back in good shape and strong using exercises and stretches. I detail my own personal program of fitness in my acclaimed book: Back Exercises and Stretches, which is a part of our comprehensive pain relief program.
Third and most importantly, realize that sneezing is most likely not the actual source of pain, but merely a trigger for it to begin convincingly. The underlying reasons for the pain include chronic muscular tension and the susceptibility to mindbody health issues that have become epidemic problems in today’s modern world. Work on yourself psychologically in order to undermine these mechanisms using a program of knowledge therapy and proactive introspection. You will be amazed at how much more effective back pain prevention is compared to treating existing pain, regardless of the source.
Finally, if you suspect an actual structural issue being responsible for your back pain from sneezing, seek out qualified medical evaluation. Be wary of having a scapegoat condition blamed as the source, since most spinal abnormalities are innocuous and incidental. If you do your research and demand a second opinion on any structural diagnosis, you will stack the odds of successful resolution of pain in your favor.
Back Pain > Back Ache > Back Pain from Sneezing
Sneezing looks like such a benign pain, however anybody who has ever had painful sneezing will inform you that it’s anything however. Sneezing is a natural response of your body against bacteria and viruses. Anything that enters your nose may set off the body’s reflex to sneeze, which forces whatever entered to leave the nose– often through a violent sneeze.
A sneeze is a procedure that consists of many actions. An inflammation to the nose signals your throat, eyes and mouth to shut. Then the chest muscles agreement and throat muscles unwind. Air is displaced of your mouth and nose to clear the passage. So if it’s a natural occasion, why does my body hurt when I sneeze?
What Causes Full Body Pain When Sneezing
Q: Only continues for a couple of seconds after sneezing and gradually dissipates, however it’s a really bad pain that I cannot do anything for, kind of like a muscle cramp. The more aggressive the sneeze the more it harms.
A: When you sneeze, you create a huge, temporary boost in pressure in the back canal that houses the spinal cord and nerve roots that leave the spinal column to head out to the remainder of the body, in addition to the pressure in the disc between the vertebra. I presume the sinus problem caused sneezing and the sneezing triggered one or more of the discs in the lower cervical spinal column (neck) to deteriorate such that the nucleus of the disc is bulging out or partially herniated through the annular fiber part of the disc into the area in the bony canals through which the spine and nerve roots pass through. This lowers the general quantity of extra area surrounding the nerves. Now when you sneeze and produce incredible pressures in conjunction with this reduction in the additional area, the nerves that head out to your arms and shoulders are briefly inflamed as the extending portion of the disc extends a lot more under the increased, temporary pressure.
Upper Back Cracks When I Sneeze Back
Also read: Main Causes of Body Pain After Sleeping
I know it all sounds really complicated, but basically you probably have a weakened intervertebral disc at C6 (the 6th cervical vertebrae in your neck) that is worsened by the pressures developed when you sneeze. The net result is the nerve roots and probably to a lower degree the spinal cord are for a moment inflamed, developing pain that disipates as soon as the pressure insult passes. You do not wish to avoid sneezing, if you have the urge, but you would like to not sneeze unnecessarily. By that I mean, if you have seasonal allergies, you may wish to think about taking something like Claritin to control them and prevent sneezing. You likewise do not want to flex over when you sneeze. With the disc currently weak, sneezing can further damage it and a more relentless nerve issue can develop.
Upper Back Cracks When I Sneeze Feel
Does not really discuss why you’d have complete body pain, unless you had some type of problem all up and down your spine, but the “shock” is what made me think of this. Often a shocking experience belongs to pinched nerves.