Does anxiety cause chronic pain?

Anxiety activates the fight-or-flight response which causes a release of stress hormones. Higher levels of stress can lead to muscle tension and exacerbate pain. Prolonged anxiety also causes the pain system to become overactive and oversensitive. 

This can manifest as amplified pain perception, which in turn decreases your ability to cope with pain. In fact, chronic anxiety can increase pain sensitivity so much that it becomes the sole cause of chronic pain. If you are dealing with anxiety and/or chronic pain, take some time to identify the root cause and work towards finding ways to break the cycle and change your life for the better.