Why is Pain Worse When You’re Stressed or Anxious?
As if being in chronic pain wasn’t stressful enough… Just when you thought you were turning a corner, maybe you’ve felt great for a few weeks or even months. Then you have a stressful day at work or get some unsettling news about family or a friend, then BAM! Right back to feeling like crap again. So why does this happen?? Why does stress or anxiety make pain worse??
Let’s dive in with a little neuroscience shall we?! 👇🏼
Anxiety is a response to STRESS in the body. It is actually a self-protective mechanism when the body thinks it is in danger! The "fight or flight" system, in evolution, is what helped with survival! You’ve probably heard of the fight or flight response and maybe you’ve even experienced it for yourself… Cue the sweaty palms, racing heart, quick breathing and panic.
There are 2 main areas of the brain that play a role in this response:
The first is a structure inside the brain called the amygdala. The amygdala is like an alarm system inside our brain that senses danger. When danger is sensed, our amygdala will send a signal to the adrenal glands to release powerful stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline to prepare us for what is to come. This will cause our bodies to experience some of the following symptoms:
increased heart rate and breathing rate
shaking
increased sweating
tension
GI distress
The second important area of the brain we need to consider in anxiety and stress is the prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is typically involved in logic, thinking clearly, reasoning, and organizing thoughts and emotions.
In an anxiety response, this area of the brain is inhibited.
The amygdala takes over and in a sense "shuts down" the more logical part of the brain, resulting in the persistent and debilitating symptoms of stress and anxiety.
This results in extra stress hormones floating around wreaking havoc in our bodies. Additional stress hormones can cause increased muscle tension and widespread pain, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, headaches, impaired immunity, and can even contribute to illnesses like cancer.
This is common in people with highly stressful lives, demanding jobs, PTSD, grief, and other mental health disorders. Everyone should get help managing their stress and anxiety, but especially those mentioned above!
Luckily, there are powerful ways to out-smart this faulty nervous system response such as deep breathing strategies, purposeful movement, meditation, cognitive behavioral therapies, etc.
Wondering how a PT can help with all of this?! In Physical Therapy, we emphasize that taking care of our mental health is an important component of physical health. We incorporate breath work and movement as well as connection to our bodies so we can regulate our emotions in a healthy way, and stay physically fit in order to combat illness. We also have the skills to make referrals to qualified healthcare providers such as physicians and mental health professionals as needed to create a strong team to help you reach your goals faster.
Stressed and anxious AND in pain? Schedule a complimentary injury screen with Wildflower Physical Therapy & Wellness today to learn how our qualified PTs can help you break the cycle of chronic pain and get back to doing the things you love to do!