Psychological causes of diseases of the knee and hip joints

Even in Greek philosophy and medicine, the idea of ​​the influence of the soul and spirit on the human body was widespread. Translated from Greek, “psycho” means soul, and “soma” means body. The soul and body are inextricably linked - Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle spoke about this. The term “psychosomatics” will soon be two hundred years old; it was coined in 1818 by the German physician Heinroth.

Psychosomatic diseases are diseases of internal organs and systems that arise as a result of mental ill-being.

Psychotherapists say: any disease first arises in the subconscious and only then manifests itself at the body level. That is, most of our ailments are associated with unresolved internal problems. The main psychological causes of illnesses are anger, envy, anxiety and guilt.

Many scientists believe that 80% of all diseases are actually psychosomatic. Our well-being depends on our thoughts, mood, ability to find and see positive things, beauty and enjoy it all. The state of health is associated with the ability to be happy, character traits, attitude to successes and failures at work, and everyday problems.

According to the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, symptoms and diseases of various organs are a symbolic language with the help of which the body wants to communicate repressed mental conflicts.

Almost half of all human diseases can be psychosomatic in nature. Among them are diseases:

• heart and blood vessels (arterial hypertension, hypertension, rheumatism, vegetative dystonia, coronary heart disease, heart rhythm disturbances, heart attacks)
• gastrointestinal tract (peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, ulcerative colitis, biliary dyskinesia)
• nervous system (chronic headaches, tension pain, dizziness)
• skin (neurodermatitis, relapses of psoriasis)
• gynecological, including those related to the woman’s reproductive cycle (premenstrual tension syndrome, gestosis, postpartum depression)
• endocrine
• and many others.

Symptoms of psychosomatic diseases

Sometimes doctors are faced with situations where it is not possible to accurately determine the cause of a particular disease. It happens that there are no physiological prerequisites for the development of the disease, but the disease progresses.

If medical examination cannot detect a physical or organic cause of the disease, or if the disease is the result of emotional states such as anger, anxiety, depression, guilt, then the disease is classified as psychosomatic.

There are certain signals that the cause of the disease lies precisely in the field of psychology:

• Frequent recurrence of the disease. The person receives treatment according to the doctor's recommendations, but eventually the symptoms disappear for a short time and soon reappear. That is, adequate drug treatment does not give the expected result.
• The presence of psychological trauma or chronic stress. If a patient knows that he has had a difficult period or something is wrong in his personal life, it is better to immediately contact both a therapist and a psychotherapist, which will help to quickly establish the true cause of the disease and select the right treatment.
• Traditional treatment does not help - another feature of psychosomatic illness.

Psychological causes of diseases of the knee and hip joints

“I think healing requires the combined efforts of at least two people. One of them is you." Louise Hay

Diseases of the knee and hip joints can develop for a variety of reasons. According to the observations of modern scientists, arthrosis of the knee or hip joints often occurs: due to overload of the joints in professional athletes; due to prolonged stress on the joints of the legs in people who are forced to walk vast distances; due to overload of the legs in obese people; due to joint injuries or chronic microtraumas; due to inflammation of the joints due to arthritis.

Other circumstances contributing to the occurrence of arthrosis of the knee and hip joints are diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, unfavorable heredity, some hormonal changes in the body and certain metabolic disorders.

Until recently, all of the above unfavorable factors were considered by scientists as the main causes of arthrosis of the knee and hip joints. However, recent discoveries in the field of biochemistry and physiology have forced us to reconsider our views on the key aspects of the formation of these diseases. Currently, it has become obvious to advanced scientists and doctors that one of the main reasons for the development of unfavorable changes in the joints is the patient’s chronic stressful condition.

You already know that during periods of prolonged stress and prolonged experiences, there is a persistent increase in the level of corticosteroid hormones in the blood. And physiologists and biochemists have recently proven that the excessive release of these hormones into the blood inhibits the production of hyaluronic acid, which is an important component of joint fluid (“joint lubrication”).

And if the joint fluid becomes small, or if it becomes “incomplete,” the articular cartilage dries out. The cartilage cracks and thins - arthrosis occurs .

This process is aggravated by the fact that an excess amount of “stress” hormones leads to a decrease in capillary permeability and a deterioration in blood flow in damaged joints. And the combination of chronic stress with the unfavorable circumstances indicated at the beginning of the chapter (joint overload, trauma, heredity, etc.) leads to the fact that articular cartilage is gradually deformed and destroyed.

You can read more about the effects of chronic stress and negative experiences on joint health in special medical reference books. The only thing that these reference books do not talk about is what kind of negative emotions lead to damage to the knee and hip joints. Working with such patients for many years, I have identified a number of patterns that I will be happy to share with you.

In particular, I noticed that arthrosis of the hip joints very often affects very pleasant, nice people who almost never conflict with anyone and rarely express their dissatisfaction with anyone. Outwardly, they look very reserved, calm and friendly. However, strong passions often rage inside them, which do not come out only due to their upbringing or characteristics of their “Nordic” character.

As a result, restrained emotions, such as irritation, frustration (intimate dissatisfaction), anxiety or suppressed anger, provoke the release of corticosteroid hormones into the blood and through them affect hyaluronic acid, which, as we have already said, is the most important component of joint lubrication.

In addition, the internal tension of the nervous system, as you and I know, affects the condition of the skeletal muscles - their spasm and hypertonicity occur. And since there are particularly strong muscles around the hip joints, their spasm leads to the fact that these muscles “pinch” the damaged joint. As a result of prolonged muscle pressure, the tight hip joint is deformed and destroyed even faster.

Of course, unrestrained and emotional people sometimes also suffer from arthrosis of the hip joints. But, as I mentioned in the second chapter, they get arthrosis more often due to “excessive” negative emotions, when a certain emotional “limit” is exceeded. In general, in an emotional person, other organs usually have weak points - the thyroid gland, heart, stomach, as well as the back and respiratory organs. The hip joints of overly emotional people, with some exceptions, are almost the last to be damaged. After all, arthrosis of the hip joints , I repeat, is most often a disease of people who are accustomed to restraining and suppressing their emotions.

Observation. While traveling abroad, I noticed that in those Western European countries where it is customary to “keep up your appearance” and constantly smile, the percentage of people suffering from arthrosis of the hip joints is very high. Apparently, forced to live by high ethical standards, not all people in these countries meet such standards. As a result, not having the opportunity to show their weaknesses, forced to smile even in a bad mood and state of health, some Western Europeans drive themselves into a severe depressive-stressful state. And, as a result, they develop diseases caused by suppressed emotions, including arthrosis of the hip joints.

Case history from the practice of Dr. Evdokimenko.

Natalya Alekseevna, 56 years old, came to me about arthrosis of the hip joints. The duration of the disease at the time of our meeting was about two years. From a conversation with the patient, it turned out that she works as a primary school teacher. A year before the onset of the illness, Natalya Alekseevna went to work at an elite school where the children of “cool” parents study.

During lessons, these children behave as they want; if they wish, they can, figuratively speaking, “stand on their heads.” But Natalya Alekseevna was forced to tolerate any of their behavior, since the school management strictly forbade putting children down or raising their voices at them. Not accustomed to such behavior and the unceremoniousness of her students, Natalya Alekseevna spent all three years of working in such an “elite” school in constant irritation, which over time, as it seems to me, led to the development of arthrosis of her hip joints.

After talking with me and carefully weighing all the pros and cons, Natalya Alekseevna decided to leave the school for “cool” children and returned to her previous place of work, to a school where ordinary children study. After eliminating the chronic irritant, the patient’s hip joints were put in order with the help of medications in a very short time (three months).

Case history from the practice of Dr. Evdokimenko.

Sergei Andreevich was one of the few patients of mine for whom anti-arthrosis treatment hardly helped. The failure of therapy was explained by the character of the man. He repeatedly told me: “Everyone infuriates me - there are so many idiots in the subway and on the street! I just want to punch someone in the face!”

Over several months of communication, I was still unable to influence Sergei Andreevich. He didn’t want to change and didn’t give in to “re-education.” As a result, without achieving impressive treatment results, we were forced to end our communication on a minor note. Sergei Andreevich went for joint replacement surgery.

Case history from the practice of Dr. Evdokimenko.

Ivan Sergeevich contacted me about arthrosis of the hip joint. The disease was discovered in a man about 3 years ago and during this time it developed to the second stage (moderate severity). In a personal conversation, Ivan Sergeevich told me about the supposed causes of the disease.

Fifteen years ago, Ivan Sergeevich married a woman whom he loved, but who, as he understood, did not love him - for his wife, marriage to Ivan Sergeevich was just a way to improve her living conditions. However, the wife very quickly gave birth to a daughter for Ivan Sergeevich, which tied the man even more closely to her.

Loving his wife, Ivan Sergeevich tried for five to seven years to achieve reciprocity. At first, he was convinced that with his sincere love he could win his wife’s heart. Therefore, he spoiled her as best he could, showered her with flowers and gifts, fulfilled her slightest whims. But the wife never reciprocated her husband’s love. Her heart remained cold. As a result, several years ago Ivan Sergeevich lost hope and “broke” from disappointment.

He even suffered a heart attack, but, fortunately, was able to quickly recover from it. However, since then, the presence of his wife began to burden and irritate him. Ivan Sergeevich was even ready to leave home, but the thought of his daughter stopped him. Besides, there was nowhere to go. And against this background, against the background of disappointment and irritation towards his wife, he gradually began to develop coxarthrosis.

Ivan Sergeevich came to me at a stage when non-surgical treatment of the joint is still possible, but requires urgency. Including in resolving psychological problems. After several detailed conversations about the “psychology of the disease,” Ivan Sergeevich made a decision. In order to preserve his joint and leg, he left his family, rented an apartment on the outskirts of Moscow and began to rebuild his life.

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Having gotten rid of daily annoying communication with his wife, the man recovered quite quickly. And although he still limps a little when walking, the severe pain that tormented him before now does not bother Ivan Sergeevich.

Diseases of the knee joints

Diseases of the knee joints, in addition to physical causes (which were discussed at the beginning of the chapter), can be the result of prolonged or severe stress, and often occur against the background of difficult experiences. For many people, their knee joints begin to hurt after divorce, loss of loved ones, dismissal from work and other blows of fate.

Very often, arthrosis of the knee joints occurs in emotionally tired people, whose life as a whole has become an “overwhelming burden.” That is, those people whose life is hard and joyless. For example, I especially often see arthrosis of the knee joints in “dazed-eyed” women of about fifty who have to carry home, work, children or grandchildren, plus elderly sick parents, and sometimes also a sick husband on their shoulders.

It is clear that such women have no time for the joys of life; they simply do not have enough time for themselves. In the end, the need to “pull the burden” year after year, a life full of only worries, without joy and pleasure, breaks even the most persistent and responsible. Because of their joyless life, women become “emotionally old,” they walk with difficulty (even when their knees are still healthy), and such women seem to have “weights hanging on their legs.”

Often these women become slouched from worries, their legs become swollen and heavy, and blood circulation in the legs is impaired—severe varicose veins or thrombosis of the blood vessels in the legs occur. All these problems lead to the fact that the knee joints gradually lose flexibility and become “pinched.” The cartilage of the knees, deprived of normal blood supply, loses moisture, dries out and cracks.

As a result, arthrosis of the knee joints develops. Which in such women is difficult to treat, since it is very difficult for these patients to change something in their lives and eliminate the key cause of the disease - emotional fatigue. And if the root cause of the disease is not addressed, it is unlikely that the disease will go away even with the best treatment.

In my memory, only a few such patients managed, after our conversations about the causes of the disease, to somehow rearrange their lives, throw off some of their responsibilities and get better. Most of these women, broken by life, even realizing the complexity of their illness, could not turn away from their rigidly prescribed life line. And I cannot condemn them for this - in the end, such an exaggerated sense of duty evokes only sympathy and respect in me. The only pity is that all these women are deprived of the opportunity to live not only for others, but also for themselves.

To be fair, it must be said that not only women suffer from hyper-responsibility and emotional fatigue. There are also men who have completely devoted all their energy to work or have spent all their life energy in an effort to care for and make happy all their loved ones - children, wives, parents, etc. But still, men are less likely to reach the point of mind-blowing self-sacrifice. Men almost always have at least a little “joy for themselves, for their loved ones.” Perhaps this is why severe forms of arthrosis of the knee joints are somewhat less common in men.

Finally, it's time to talk about another strange circumstance that somehow leads to arthrosis of the knee joints. For reasons unknown to me, the most severe forms of knee damage are often observed in people who are intelligent but critical or prone to chronic dissatisfaction. That is, those who are constantly internally dissatisfied with life, circumstances, people around them, or themselves.

Or those who tend to constantly criticize something or someone, including themselves (we are talking, as you understand, not about verbal criticism, but about a state of internal irritation and dissatisfaction).

It’s even worse if the tendency to criticism is combined with chronic resentment towards the whole world, towards others or close people. Moreover, it does not matter whether grievances and criticism are expressed out loud or accumulate inside. The role is played only by the strength of emotions and their duration. The stronger a person’s sensitivity, dissatisfaction, or tendency to criticism and self-criticism, the more his knees become deformed over time, and the more difficult it is to treat them later.

Why this happens, I don't know. Perhaps critical and touchy people release stress hormones in increased quantities. But most likely it’s a spasm of the anterior thigh muscles, which for some reason is more pronounced in such people than in others.

We can detect spasm of the muscles of the anterior surface of the thigh in almost 100% of people suffering from arthrosis of the knee joints. It is very easy to identify such a spasm. For example, if a healthy person, lying on his stomach, bends his leg at the knee and tries to pull his heel to his buttock, this will not cause him any painful sensations. In extreme cases, a healthy person will feel some tension along the front of the thigh. A person whose muscles on the front of the thigh are in spasm will most likely not be able to (lying on his stomach) pull his heel towards his buttock at all - even if his knees are still healthy. Or such an attempt will cause him strong pain in the muscles along the front surface of the thigh, a feeling that the muscles are about to come off (note that the pain will be felt more strongly not in the knee, but precisely along the front surface of the thigh). Typically, spasm of the anterior thigh muscles occurs against the background of protracted experiences or against the background of prolonged nervous tension. For some time this spasm does not make itself felt at all. But gradually it “tightens” the knees, does not allow them to move easily and freely, increases the risk of meniscus tear or provokes the development of arthrosis of the knee joints.

Case history from the practice of Dr. Evdokimenko.

At the reception there is a very nice woman, Tatyana Georgievna, 49 years old, director of a small production. I am being treated for the initial stage of arthrosis of the knee joints. Arthrosis in a woman is naturally combined with spasm of the anterior thigh muscles. During the conversation, Tatyana Georgievna asks a question:

— Pavel Valerievich, I am familiar with your theory that knees often hurt in people who are prone to criticism. But I never criticize others and don’t take offense at anyone. I engage in self-criticism, it’s true. If something doesn’t work out somewhere or I simply make a mistake in something, I constantly bite myself. I can then lie awake at night from worry. I toss and turn all night, thinking that I should have done this or that differently. But self-criticism probably doesn’t count, does it?

— Self-criticism sometimes destroys even more than the habit of criticizing others. Although the fact that you analyze your mistakes is correct. At the end of the day, it's your experience. It’s just extremely harmful to “bite” yourself for them.

- How can I not “gnaw” myself for my mistakes, not think about them?

- You can and should think about them. But don't get hung up on them. We analyzed the situation, realized our mistake, tried to correct it if possible - and moved on. You shouldn't always return to what is already behind you.

- Thank you Doctor. I understand you and will try to change my attitude towards life’s problems.

Case history from the practice of Dr. Evdokimenko.

At the reception, Irina Vladimirovna, a very successful businesswoman, head of a large corporation. She contacted me about rapidly progressing arthrosis of the knee joints. By the time of our meeting, Irina Vladimirovna had managed to undergo treatment in several expensive medical centers, but the result was not impressive. The disease continued to progress.

Having examined the patient, I was surprised to discover an atypically high degree of deformation of the knee joints for a forty-two-year-old woman. A similar deformity sometimes occurs in professional athletes, who often overload their joints or have received multiple knee injuries during their sports activities. But Irina Vladimirovna, according to her, did not play sports, and never injured her legs. And in general, her entire life was devoted exclusively to her career. There was no time left even for personal life, much less for sports.

Given the fact that the patient’s entire life was devoted to her career, I suggested that the source of her health problems could also lie in her work. And I decided to talk with Irina Vladimirovna about the difficulties in her professional activities, about relationships with partners and subordinates. Possessing a sharp mind, Irina Vladimirovna immediately caught the train of my thoughts. She told me that she really often has to criticize her subordinates.

“How can I not do this,” Irina Vladimirovna was indignant. “I have to constantly control everything, I can’t even relax.” It seems like I pay people a good salary, but, by and large, I have to check and redo everything myself.

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In general, it turned out that Irina Vladimirovna was constantly under nervous tension and in a state of dissatisfaction with her subordinates. I realized that I needed to somehow “switch” her train of thought and help change her attitude towards employees. Then I asked the patient an unexpected question:

— Tell me, Irina Vladimirovna, do your subordinates earn the same as you?

“No, of course,” Irina Vladimirovna was clearly surprised by the question, “I earn more.” Much bigger…

- Let’s just assume that you earn one hundred thousand dollars a month. And your subordinates are a thousand. Can you expect them to be as smart and enterprising for a thousand as you are for a hundred thousand? After all, if your subordinates had the same business acumen that you yourself possess, they simply would not work for you. They would have opened their own business long ago and earned one hundred thousand instead of one thousand. So?

“Well, yes... You’re probably right,” Irina Vladimirovna answered after some thought.

“Okay,” I continued. - Now think: if your subordinates are still not as enterprising as you, they are unlikely to change even if you constantly criticize and scold them. And just because you freak out, they won’t change either.

So should you undermine your own health with unnecessary negative emotions? Take the situation more simply: since you are the head of the company, it is you, and not your subordinates, who will continue to make all the most important decisions.

Although, of course, you have an alternative way out: you can hire a decent assistant who will completely take over your responsibilities for a good salary. And he will be responsible for everything instead of you.

“Thank you, Pavel Valerievich,” Irina Vladimirovna answered after thinking. - You're probably right. I'll try to take work a little less seriously. And I will learn to react less painfully to the mistakes of my employees.

In these two cases, both with Irina Vladimirovna and Tatyana Georgievna, we ultimately managed to achieve good results. Both women were smart and flexible enough, they were able to restructure their thinking and managed to get rid of at least some of their negative emotions.

Apparently, in this way they managed to reduce the harmful influence of their own criticism on the body. One way or another, the treatment of their painful knee joints progressed rapidly. Unlike the situation with another patient, Igor Vasilievich.

Case history from the practice of Dr. Evdokimenko.

Igor Vasilyevich was treated by me for arthrosis of the knee joints (of moderate severity) for three years. Believe me, three years is a long time to treat such arthrosis. I usually get patients with a similar problem in order in about eight to ten meetings spread over a year. And then I meet with them only to adjust maintenance therapy (about once every six months).

But with Igor Vasilyevich the treatment was very difficult from the very beginning. No matter what we did with him, we managed to push back the disease only slightly. It’s good that we managed to slightly slow down the development of the disease. Being a maximalist, in another situation I would regard such a result as a failure. But in this case it could be considered positive, since before the start of therapy the disease was rapidly progressing. And yet I wanted to achieve more.

Naturally, talking with Igor Vasilyevich for a long time, I could not help but pay attention to his emotional state. During our conversations, I quite soon developed a clear “psychological map” of the patient.

Igor Vasilyevich was one of the “classical” critics. He criticized everyone - the government, his dacha neighbors, his wife, children, public transport and the organization of traffic in the city... It’s harder to say who the man did not criticize. But most of all from Igor Vasilyevich (“behind their backs,” of course) was the management of the company in which he worked. They are stupid, thieves, grabbers, don’t know anything about business, do everything wrong, etc., etc.

Every time the topic of Igor Vasilyevich’s work was accidentally brought up in our conversation, I was amazed at the degree of his aggressive reaction. One day I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and asked:

— Igor Vasilyevich, if you have such mediocre, stupid management at work, why bother? We need to change jobs.

- Pavel Valerievich, you understand, I am almost fifty years old. Where will I go? Who will hire me for a new job at this age?

- Then open your own business. After all, you understand business organization better than your current bosses. It would be possible to give them good competition, and then, lo and behold, you could beat them.

- No, doctor, starting your own business at fifty is hard. And in general, this is not for me.

- Well, maybe then we should just calm down and not pay attention to any mistakes of the leadership? As they say, what is Caesar's is Caesar's... God bless them, health is more precious.

- How can I not pay attention to this?! They're idiots! What should I do now, not notice their nonsense?

- Please notice, just don’t take it so personally. After all, your too strong emotions hit both your joints and blood vessels. Therefore, the treatment is slower than usual.

- You know what, Pavel Valerievich, I’m already an old man and I’m not going to change. So let's get treatment without any of your psychology...

Igor Vasilyevich is still undergoing treatment. And not only for me (I confess, but now I try to communicate with him less often). What did he not try in the few years that passed after the memorable conversation; I visited everyone - academic luminaries, healers, traditional healers. I spent a lot of money on the latest drugs, homeopathy and laser-magnetic devices for home use. There is no point - the condition of the knees does not improve.

It remained the same as it was during our conversation. And I suspect that it will remain so, unless it gets worse - since over the years, Igor Vasilyevich’s penchant for indiscriminate criticism, combined with dull irritation towards the whole world, has only intensified.

A chapter from the book “The Cause of Your Illness,” published in 2003. Edited in 2012 All rights reserved.

READ MORE:

• Introduction to psychosomatics
• Most Frequently Asked Questions
• Psychological causes of arthritis
• Psychological causes of back pain
• No more medications needed?
• All articles by Dr. Evdokimenko

Diagnosis of psychosomatic disorders

It’s rare that a doctor will immediately suspect a patient is psychosomatic. Typically, such diseases do not differ in appearance from somatic diseases; for example, it is never possible to immediately determine whether a patient’s gastritis is caused by the Helicobacter bacterium or some kind of experience. Very often, doctors diagnose problems with the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, nervous system or immunity, without even knowing about the patient’s mental trauma.

What does such a diagnosis of the disease lead to? The doctor prescribes medications to the patient that should alleviate his condition and cure the disease. The prescribed treatment really alleviates the symptoms, and the doctor happily releases the patient. But, after the end of the course of treatment, after some time, all the symptoms return, and the doctor begins to look for more effective treatment and stronger medications.

A few years later we have a chronically ill person who takes a mountain of medications and suffers from side effects and the inability to recover. At the same time, in order to alleviate his condition and completely solve the problem, it was necessary to consult a psychotherapist from the very beginning, but either the patient was embarrassed to tell the doctor about his problems, or the doctor did not ask, or both did not suspect it in time, and time was lost.

Since psychosomatic diseases arise as a result of mental disorders affecting the human body, several specialists should be involved in the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases: a psychotherapist and a specialized specialist - a therapist, a neurologist, a cardiologist, an endocrinologist. You need to treat both the soul and the body at the same time.

The role of the psychotherapist is to determine the nature of the emotional state that caused the disease and help the patient cope with them. The development of psychosomatic diseases can be provoked not so much by the presence as by the unexpressed and suppressed emotions of negative emotions. Suppressed and muffled emotions gradually burn out, destroying the human body and provoking the onset of illness.

Almost any negative emotion that is carefully hidden, be it fear, anger, sadness or hatred, sooner or later can find its way out in illness.

Psychosomatics of hand diseases

Hands are responsible for execution and retention. Physical problems with joints begin with fear of loss, fear of new things, when a person “gives up.” Also, the upper limbs are a symbol of relationships with others. They originate in the chest and are closely related to the senses. Another reason for pain is the inability to give or give (a person takes more than he gives).

Wrist joint and fingers

The hand and fingers are a zone of energy redistribution in different directions. This is where the projections responsible for the systems and organs of the whole body are located. Different theories give different interpretations of connections. Therefore, pain can be associated both with family problems and with physical internal diseases.

Elbow joint

Represents power, the ability to push through a crowd, clear the way to success and wealth. If the desire to earn money becomes more important than the meaning of life, the joints refuse to work normally. They urge you to stop and not go ahead.

Shoulder joint

This is the “hug joint.” Pain here is an area of ​​responsibility, a burden. Unexpressed grievances and hidden disappointments, the bitterness of losses, the fear of seeming pitiful - all this triggers a destructive process. Jaw and maxillofacial joint This part of the body is subject to intense psychological stress in any stressful situation: the mouth clenches tightly, leading to grinding of teeth. Clenching the jaws is a symbol of strong-willed qualities. For secretive, powerful, proud people, this process becomes decisive. The result of constant strong squeezing is pain in the neck, jaw clicking and problems with swallowing (a characteristic crunch appears).

Who is at risk of developing a psychosomatic disorder?

People who are accustomed to restraining their emotions and experiences are most susceptible to psychosomatic diseases. But there are situations when even the most balanced and calm people cannot cope with emotions, so it cannot be said that anyone is completely immune from psychosomatic diseases.

If a psychosomatic disease or a tendency to it is not detected in childhood or adolescence, then subsequently diagnosing the disease is very difficult. For example, a disease such as alcoholism usually develops due to a feeling of inadequacy to expectations or requirements, constant guilt and rejection of oneself as an individual. This begins in childhood, if parents place too high demands on the child, and a person becomes a real alcoholic in adulthood, when it is not easy to find the roots of the problem.

The cause of frequent colds can be a lack of simple joy in life, and anemia can be caused by fear of the unknown. Throat diseases are more often diagnosed in patients who cannot express their opinions and express their anger. Life uncertainty and some doom can cause the development of gastritis. Infertility often affects people who are afraid of changing their role in the world and the passage of time. In general, people who are afraid to live, are not confident in themselves and their capabilities, cannot realize themselves, risk getting many unpleasant diseases, including neoplasms, which can also have psychosomatic causes.

Nervous-related diseases of the leg joints

The joints of the legs are responsible for moving in space. If pain appears in these joints, a person cannot move forward freely. Internal pressures, fears, and restrictions hinder mobility and inhibit development in physical and social terms.

Hip joint

The cause of pain and deterioration in mobility is “burnout” at work, careerism. A person is constantly trying to overtake someone. There is irrational rivalry. The joint of the right leg suffers - this pattern of behavior is typical for the professional sphere, the left leg - for the family environment and personal relationships.

Ankle pain

Connections determine the direction of movement. The ankle symbolizes the current state of affairs. When you are afraid of making a mistake, choosing the “wrong road,” painful symptoms appear. By the way, bruises and sprains of the big toe are an attempt to separate from the mother, to throw off her power.

Inflammation of the knees

This is a symbol of support, confidence, support. Knee pain torments a person if he is overly proud and arrogant, does not know how to forgive and ask for forgiveness, and wants to stand firm under any circumstances. Joints lose flexibility due to the inability to pay tribute to parents, partner, or friend. Damage and tears of the meniscus are the “stigma” of people with excessively high self-esteem.

Theories of famous psychologists

Recommendations for recovery

If the problem with the joints is caused by psychosomatics, you will need to consult a psychotherapist, orthopedist, or rheumatologist. Medical therapy, gymnastics and adjustment of thinking are required. The help of a psychotherapist will be decisive. Working with a specialist will help you reconsider your attitude towards life, realize deep hidden problems, and reassess the past. The main goal is to get rid of old wounds, calmly accept the experience and let go of the situation. Positive thinking is a decisive measure of protection against psychosomatic problems. It is important to develop the attitude “to go forward easily” so that the movement becomes painless and the limbs are healthy.

Louise Hay's disease table