Pain of varying forms is a natural part of life. However, it shouldn’t be a constant intrusion for any length of time.
Acute pain is typically a response from our body to a real or perceived threat to our survival. This means it might be something literal like the pain that accompanies stubbing your toe or twisting an ankle, or it could be brought on by a stressful environment and postural tension. Chronic pain is classified as any pain-based symptom lasting longer than three months with no clinical change.
In today’s modern world, we have many options for the management of pain. How we manage both acute and chronic pain requires some careful consideration.
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Pharmaceutical pain management is a wonderful tool when used appropriately. In acute pain, pharmaceutical pain relief can be key for getting necessary rest and recovery. When used specifically to allow for or enhance things like appropriate sleep, it is an important ally. However, pain-relieving medications sometimes are overused in order to push through the reason why pain signals are occurring in the first place. In this case, the use of pain medications can be detrimental in the long term.
In chronic pain cases, pharmaceuticals can play an important role in rest, maintaining quality of life and allowing for other therapies to take place that support longer term pain management strategies. Just like the above though, the long-term use of pharmaceuticals of any kind can come with more detriment than benefit.
As a practicing physical therapist, I do not claim to specialize in the pharmaceutical side of pain relief. I always recommend to my clients to consult with their doctors and pharmacists on the best approach to that side of their care. My specialty resides within resolving the trigger for pain along with pain management techniques that do not involve medications.
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Whether it’s chronic pain or acute pain, it is important to consult with someone to determine the ins and outs of where the pain may be stemming from for you. Pain is designed to be kind of like an alarm bell in our biological systems. Even in chronic cases, it is worth learning how to interpret what the signals of pain are trying to tell you.
Pain is also highly connected to our nervous systems and will often vary based on our various neurological and emotional states. Pain is a sense, just like our sight, smell or hearing. Sometimes changing the sensation of pain is as simple as learning how to acknowledge and sit with the pain itself.
Breathing techniques
We can utilize certain breathing techniques to help ourselves tune in to our pain and our nervous system in a different way. This is where I like to start with the vast majority of my clients who are experiencing pain. Regulating the nervous system can go a long way in mitigating our pain response and helping us understand our pain in a different way. When we are in a stressed state, any signal from our body, including pain, will be amplified. We can use the breath to bring our neurological state from one of reaction to one of presence in a relatively short period of time.
The easiest place to start this process is with a coherent breath. Coherent breathing simply means breathing in and out for an equal length of time. Start with inhaling for four seconds and exhaling for four seconds. Practise this style of breathing for two minutes (set a timer on your phone) a few times a day. You may choose to do it at scheduled times (morning and evening work well) or during moments where you are very aware of pain points. Spend a few moments sending the breath or imagining the breath travelling into the area of discomfort as you work on the equal in, equal out structure. Breathing in this way consistently, over time, has been shown to help to decrease biological stress in the body and provide support for cardiovascular and lymphatic systems as well as for nervous system regulation. It also supports our emotional well-being.
Regular movement of any kind has also been shown to be supportive of pain management and relief in all cases. In cases of acute injury, movement should be guided by a knowledgeable professional as part of your rehab. In the case of chronic pain, finding movement that you enjoy doing is the most important thing. Building in skills like body awareness, mindfulness and embodiment techniques can be helpful for those experiencing chronic pain-related conditions. All of these ideas are also best supported by bringing in consistent lifestyle supports such as food that makes you feel good, good hydration habits, supplementing vitamin D and magnesium and prioritizing healthy sleep habits.
As always, if you are experiencing new pain or chronic pain, please seek professional consultation with a provider who is knowledgeable in movement sciences, the nervous system and pain sciences.
