By Advanced Pain Care Stress can certainly cause or even exacerbate chronic neck pain. When you experience stress, whether a chronic stress disorder, or bouts of anxiety, or depression, your body will trigger the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for your “fight or flight” response. This response, when triggered, will produce and release an increase in cortisol and adrenaline hormones. Elevations in cortisol, particularly, can lead to a loss in muscle mass and an increase in fat accumulation. In moments of threat, your body’s stress response is a helpful reaction because it can help you either fight