What’s That Pain?
What’s that Pain?
Longevity Exercise Physiology Lindfield, Edgecliff, Marrickville, Randwick, Drummoyne, Balmain and Bella Vista work with many clients who are experiencing pain throughout their treatment and within their everyday lives. In this blog we will discuss what pain is, the types of pain and how exercise can help manage the symptoms.
What is Pain?
‘The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.
Pain is not only physiological but it can be influenced by our “attitudes, beliefs, personality and social factors, and can affect emotional and mental wellbeing.” Due to this if you have a health condition or injury that causes pain your experience of the pain and how it affects you can be very different to someone with the same condition.
In the recent years there has been a significant increase in the amount of research for exercise and pain. We now know that exercise is vital in the treatment for chronic pain. It has been shown to calm down the hypersensitive pain receptors in the nervous system as well as improve function, strength and conditioning to help individuals engage more effectively in their activities of daily living and participate within the community.
Types of Pain?
There are two main types of pain: acute and chronic pain.
Acute pain lasts for a short time (less than 3-6 months) and occurs following surgery, trauma or other conditions e.g. a muscle strain. It is a warning sign for the body and usually improves as the body starts to heal.
Chronic pain is an ongoing pain usually lasting more than 6 months. This type of pain can exist even after the injury or condition has healed due to hypersensitive pain receptors and changes within the central nervous system.
How Can Exercise Help Manage Pain?
In the recent years there has been a significant increase in the amount of research for exercise and pain. We now know that exercise is vital in the treatment for chronic pain. It has been shown to calm down the hypersensitive pain receptors in the nervous system as well as improve function, strength and conditioning to help individuals engage more effectively in their activities of daily living and participate within the community.
Even when knowing these benefits, people living with chronic pain can find it hard to start an exercise program. They tend to stay away from movements or activities that they find painful as they believe it will harm them, this is known as fear-avoidance behaviour. We know that this type of behaviour can contribute to the worsening of pain symptoms and is a main contributor in the chronic pain cycle.
An exercise program is about starting slowly, building up and creating an environment that allows for fear avoidant behaviours to be explored. This will allow the people living with chronic pain the ability to completely experience the benefits that exercise has to offer for their conditions.
If you are currently experiencing pain and would like some advice on starting an exercise program, speak with our Accredited Exercise Physiologists by calling 1300 964 002
References:
Pain Australia. (2020). Retrieved 11 November 2020, from https://www.painaustralia.org.au
Written by Daniel Elias Arciuli