Chronic Pain and Exercise

Did you know, 1 in 5 Australians are affected by chronic pain to the point that it significantly impacts their daily lives!

What is pain?

Pain can be described as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage".
Pain is the result of complex brain processes, which are influenced by overlapping physical (nociceptive and neuropathic), psychological, social and environmental factors. All pain is an individual human experience that is entirely subjective and can only be truly appreciated by the person experiencing the pain. A person's attitudes, beliefs and personality can strongly affect their pain perceptions.

Pain can be separated into 4 different categories:

• Acute pain: is a pain that lasts for a short time and occurs following trauma, surgery or other conditions. It acts like a warning mechanism for the body to seek help.

• Sub-acute pain: is the pain that is progressing towards chronic pain, but this progression may be prevented. This is known as the transition phase.

• Recurrent Pain: is pain that occurs on a cyclical basis, such as migraines or pelvic pain.

• Chronic pain: is a pain that lasts beyond the time expected for tissue healing following trauma, surgery or other conditions. It is often associated with an increased pain experience, not just in the area of the injury, but also in surrounding tissue or nerves. It can also exist without a clear anatomical reason at all. The longer the pain goes on, the more sensitive your nerves become making the whole system better at producing pain.

Why does pain occur?

It is important to understand that pain doesn't always equal tissue damage. You can have pain with no damage to muscles, tendons, nerves or any of the linings of the body. In chronic pain, there may have once been damage, but the pain keeps occurring long after the tissue damage has healed. With persistent pain, the pain system becomes more efficient and can be overprotective. The influence of non-tissue factors often become greater as pain lasts longer. Non-tissue symptoms can include stress, anxiety, fear of injury, poor sleep, or fear of returning to work or long commutes. The more you understand and learn about your pain the more it can help in your journey towards recovery.

So, how does exercise help?

Exercise is vital for those experiencing persistent pain. It serves primarily to build the global capacity of a person, increasing their cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength. This capacity helps to reduce fatigue levels, assists in managing related co-morbidities and may promote de-sensitisation to certain movement patterns which previously caused pain; all of which result in the ability to complete regular activities of daily living. In addition, mobility based exercise can relieve muscular tension that may come as a result of persistent pain, whether through guarding or muscular imbalance, reducing pain levels and increasing a persons quality of life.

What should I do next?

If you have any questions around chronic or persistent pain and how exercise can assist you, call us on 3184 0444 or book in online to see one of our Exercise Physiologists!