Back pain could be linked to brain shrinkage
There’s a troubling new study from researchers at the Northwestern University in Chicago that states that back pain could be linked to brain shrinkage. They compared the brains of people with and without chronic back pain and found that the grey matter was less dense in those suffering back pain. It’s not known whether pain causes the shrinkage or vice versa, but the diminished grey matter could lead to difficulties in making emotional decisions. But don’t panic, BackCare, a UK charity that promotes good back health, says that although back pain can be extremely debilitating, this is a small study and its findings are “in no way conclusive”.