Thinking About Pain and Recovery
What hurts more: the pain or the thought about the pain? Or, more importantly - what is having the biggest impact on your recovery: your body, your mind, or a combination of both?
As with the saying about the “bark being worse than the bite” - sometimes, our experience of pain and physical issues can have more to do with how we think about them, rather than how much of it is being caused directly by the physical issue itself. An example (and this may just be me!): when you knock yourself on something as you walk past, and immediately say “ow!”, before realising that it didn’t actually hurt - the important thing here is, you thought it would, so you reacted as though it did.
Our reactions often come down to our fears about whatever is going on. We might fear the pain, the anticipation of future/further pain or fear that we will not recover our pre-injury abilities, perhaps just not knowing or understanding the nature of the issue, or even losing a sense of who we are or how we relate in the world when we are offered the hope of overcoming a chronic condition - any of these may contribute to feelings of anxiety. Then comes the flow-on effect from these worries to how well we actually recover.
At the end of the day, the pain response is essentially a survival mechanism that triggers reactions designed to protect the injured area and allow it time to heal. That is all good and well, until our thoughts get involved. Have you ever noticed that when you’re stressed about something, your body becomes tense - this comes back to that physiological survival mechanism, but this time the ‘fight or flight’ response. Without going too much into that, not only does this potentially take your body’s resources away from healing the impacted area, but can also result in tension, overcompensation and further pain and/or additional issues as your body adjusts its positioning and functioning to accommodate the issue.
As hard as it can be, sometimes the best thing we can do is just relax, try to put it into context - accepting that the pain exists for a reason (not necessarily a life-threatening one); and if you’re seeking professional help, listen to and follow through on the advice your practitioner offers. Remember, the power of the pain or discomfort is in the mind, your mind. So, think about it - but not too much!
Should you be looking to relieve your physical pain or discomfort, book an appointment to see one of our Osteopaths, our Myotherapist, or perhaps even try Yoga to help with management. You can call our friendly team on (03) 5244 0063, send us an enquiry at info@bewellhealthgroup.com, or book online at www.bewellhealthgroup.com/bookings.