Stress & Pain Management
What is the connection between stress and the exacerbation of physical pain? We all know that stress can cause a lot of illnesses in the body, but did you know that physical pain is also a direct correlation to stress that can cause the pain to be much worse? Take back pain, for instance, that can be caused by several reasons such as work-related, postural deviations, falling, or sleeping wrong. Back pain is no joke if you suffer from it, and it can be debilitating if left untreated. But like all illnesses and chronic pain, there is something that has caused it. "Pain and stress are two distinguished yet overlapping processes presenting multiple conceptual and physiological overlaps. Stress can be defined broadly as a process by which a challenging emotional or physiological event or series of events results in adaptive or maladaptive changes required to regain homeostasis and stability. Pain is the collection of emotional and sensory perceptions and motor behaviors resulting from activating the nociceptive pathways in response to harmful stimuli"(Abdallah, 2017). Which means stress is external and pain is internal.
Chronic back pain can cause a person to be irritable, irrational, and argumentive due to their pain, which causes them to be stressed because no one wants to be around their negative outbursts. Pain can cause all kinds of outbursts and irritable behaviors. "Chronic pain is a widespread pathology afflicting 20%–30% of adults. Moreover, while treatment options are available, chronic pain continues to affect the life quality of patients seriously, and almost half of the pain-suffering individuals do not achieve adequate pain management"(Abdallah, 2017). Of course, with pain and stress of any kind, muscle tension is the leading cause of stress and pain in the body. If left unchecked, it can cause tremendous stress, resulting in chronic pain. "Although muscles don't necessarily place people in the hospital, like cancer and heart disease do, muscle tension is the number one symptom of stress. At the mere hint of stress, the nervous system releases epinephrine and norepinephrine to prepare the body for flight or fight. Every muscle responds to the call, resulting in various levels of muscle contraction(Seaward, 2021). One of the best modalities is therapeutic massage therapy, recognized by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).
Massage therapy is one of the best modalities because it addresses both pain and stress in a session. A licensed massage therapist is skilled in many different styles and techniques, with over 500 hours of classroom instruction and three years of professional experience. At Massage by Maria, we have over 1200 hours of classroom instruction, 12 different modalities, and four years of professional experience. Maria specializes in medical massage, lymphatic drainage, myofascial release, trigger point, and craniosacral. Massage therapy can relieve pain and discomfort while promoting rest and relaxation. "This study shows that integration of massage therapy into the acute care setting creates overall positive results in the patient's ability to deal with the challenging physical and psychological aspects of their health condition. The study demonstrated a significant reduction in pain levels and the interrelatedness of pain, relaxation, sleep, emotions, recovery, and, finally, the healing process"(Adams, 2010). Massage therapy is used in hospital settings and is being prescribed more and more by physicians and healthcare workers. Here is a list of 25 reason to get a massage.
Reference:
Abdallah, C.G.(2017) Chronic Pain and Chronic Stress: Two Sides of the Same Coin?, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5546756/
Adams, R. (2010) The Effects of Massage Therapy on Pain Management in the Acute Care Setting, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3091428/
Seaward, B.L. (2021) Essentials of Managing Stress [5th Edition], Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. Burlington MA.
Image Reference:
AMTA (2024) 25 Reasons for a Massage: https://www.amtamassage.org/find-massage-therapist/25-reasons-to-get-a-massage/
AMTA (2024) Massage Therapy & Pain Management https://www.amtamassage.org/globalassets/documents/resources/massage_therapy_and_pain_management_data_sheet_memberonly.pdf