Can Grief Manifest as Physical Pain?
Can Grief Manifest as Physical Pain?
The short answer is ABSOLUTELY. Grief is a huge stress to our brain AND our body, and there is a wealth of research that can confirm this.
It wasn't until I went through my own traumatic grief journey that I truly understood how debilitating grief can in all aspects of life. Today we are going to review how grief can manifest as physical pain and how you can help improve your symptoms.
If you are grieving, I’m so sorry for your loss, and I hope this can help you in some small way!
As a physical therapist, I often see patients who are struggling with chronic pain caused by grief. In my experience, this is a topic that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. Not only is grief incredibly isolating, but it can be emotionally and physically painful.
Grief, especially traumatic grief, is a form of immense stress within the body. Inside of the brain is a structure called the amygdala that is like an alarm system inside the brain that senses danger and stress. When danger and stress are sensed by the brain, the body will release cortisol and adrenaline to prepare us for what is to come.
Typically, this is really important for survival, but in cases of traumatic grief, PTSD, and chronic stress, signals can get misinterpreted by the brain. Let me give you an example. After my father passed away, I struggled to watch any TV shows or movies where there was a hospital scene, especially if it had a ventilator. The first time I saw this, I was really caught off guard and began to get hot and sweaty, my heart rate and breathing rate increased drastically, and I began to have a panic attack. My body associated this with the real life trauma I had experienced, and I had to train my brain and body to feel safe for a long time.
With extra stress hormones circulating in the body, this can lead to our bodies feeling not the best. This may include a lack of sleep, dysregulated diet, increased tension in the body, impaired immune function, and dysruption in normal activity levels.
In my experience, neck pain, jaw pain and headaches are some of the most common issues experienced during grief. Personally, I experience a lot of jaw pain from clenching at night as well as tension headaches and neck tension leading to pain. Crying is an incredibly useful but also energy-consuming part of grief and can create more stress in the neck and shoulders.
Some of the ways you can help to reduce the physical pain associated with grief include: seeing a therapist regularly in order to work through emotions and processing your grief, seeing a Physical Therapist who can provide you with dry needling, stretching, manual therapy and guiding you through exercise to help with down regulation of the nervous system. This down regulation will help to reduce stress levels within the body, but it does take some work!
Overall, it's important to remember that grief can have a real impact on your physical health. As a physical therapist and fellow griever, I encourage you to take care of yourself during this difficult time, by seeking support, practicing self-care, and working with a physical therapist if you're experiencing physical symptoms related to grief. I’m rooting for you and if you need help, please contact us to get help today!