I am only 32 but have been diagnosed with osteoporosis. I experience debilitating pain in my upper back. My doctor says the pain is “in my head” and recommends psychotherapy. I do not agree. Could osteoporosis be causing this pain?
Psychotherapy or some kind of counseling may be useful in helping you cope with a serious chronic disease like osteoporosis. But as to the pain, it is not “in your head”; it is in your back. Even if it is psychosomatic (“all in your head”) in origin, it is still real pain that you are experiencing.
I do not mean to suggest that your pain is or is not psychosomatic, since I have no way of knowing. Your doctor may be thinking the pain is “all in your head” because osteoporosis does not usually show any symptoms until there has been a bone fracture or the disease has advanced.
There could also be a physical cause of the back pain that is unrelated to osteoporosis, a disease in which the bones lose density and become fragile. It could be something as simple as muscle strain caused by poor computer habits.
The bottom line is that if you are uncomfortable with your doctor’s diagnosis, you should seek a second opinion.