Musculoskeletal pain can undermine physical abilities and challenge our basic beliefs and perspectives about ourselves and our bodies. The disabling effects of acute musculoskeletal pain can result in depression. The demands of managing a life with chronic musculoskeletal pain can have similar consequences to health and well-being. According to Harvard Health Publications, people with chronic pain have triple the average likelihood of developing depression.
Changes in Physiology
The Arthritis Foundation reports that there may be physiological meaning behind the co-occurrence of depression symptoms and musculoskeletal pain. Pain pathways and depression both involve the spinal cord and that these symptoms might occur together may indicate a mix-up or synergistic response in the nervous system.
Changes in Ability
Changes to physical abilities because of pain can mean no longer being able to participate in activities a person once found enjoyable and rewarding. If a person's profession involves physical activities (e.g. athlete, law enforcement, construction), the loss of meaningful work and threat to career can result in depression.
Changes in Lifestyle
Musculoskeletal pain often affects sleep patterns and can disrupt appetite. Depressive symptoms like fatigue or lethargy, difficulty concentrating and feeling worthless can follow from too little or too much sleep and eating poorly.
Changes in Identity and Relationships
If your body can no longer do what it used to because of musculoskeletal pain, this changes how you perceive yourself, your identity and place in the world, as well as how you relate to others and them to you. This is a significant change that to some extent involves grieving the loss of certain aspects of the self. To lose these invalidated ideas of ourselves can be a difficult task, one that is frustrating and can lead to depression.
Managing Pain and Depression
It is often difficult to determine whether musculoskeletal pain or depressive symptoms are causing the onset of the other. It is important to speak candidly with your physician and disclose all symptoms of pain and depression during your examination. Your doctor will want to explore your medical and psychological history, what medications you are taking, and your most recent psychosocial and pain experiences to determine the root cause of your condition and how best to treat both your musculoskeletal pain and depression.
