- Stress:
It’s a proven fact: Stress can make pain worse. Stress
may also cause pain in some cases. How does this happen? When
you are “stressed out,” your muscles tense, causing
pain. Your heart rate and body temperature increase. In reaction
to stress, your body secretes the hormone adrenaline.
Adrenaline, which comes from the adrenal glands near the kidneys,
is your body’s natural response mechanism to a frightening
or dangerous situation. But when you have constant or regular
stress, your body continues to pump adrenaline. This stressed-out
state can be exhausting and make pain worse.
- Reducing Stress:
Distraction techniques aim to teach your mind to focus on
something other than your stress. Identify common causes
of your stress. Anticipate the stress and how you will handle
it. Create a strategy for what you will do once the stressful
situation is over. Or, try imagining something really pleasant
during the stressful episode. By thinking of the enjoyable
and relaxing things you will do afterward, you can distract
your mind from the stress.
- Overdoing physical
activity: While rest is important for people with
chronic pain, so is exercise and movement. “Listen”
to your body. If your exercise hurts, stop. Ask your doctor
to help you tell the difference between normal exercise discomfort
and the pain related to too much exercise.
- See the Treatment
Options section for some additional options in managing
your pain.
*Information in this section has
been excerpted from
The Arthritis
Foundation’s Guide to Pain Management, by Susan
Bernstein, copyright ©2003, Arthritis
Foundation and
The Arthritis Foundation’s
Guide to Good Living with Osteoarthritis, copyright
©2000, Arthritis
Foundation. To learn more about these
books and for other pain management resources,
call
(800) 283-7800.
