Addressing the Problem of Pain

Understanding the Complexity of Pain

When it comes to pain, our gut instinct is often to look for the "cause" so we can fix it. This intuitively makes sense, and has merit, but it's important to understand in our search for relief of pain, that pain is incredibly complex. It follows, therefore, that the solution to pain may often involve a complex array of solutions.

Why Is Pain So Complex?

In 2019, researcher set out to study pain in what was at the time one of the most ambitious meta-analysis of pain to try to simplify and model the many causes of pain and the interplay between the various factors affecting it that had been discovered in scientific literature (Cholewicki et. al, 2019). The model below is a reflection of their findings...

A Complicated Picture of Pain

A bit messy, don't you think?

This is precisely why it is so hard for a good doctor, physical therapist, surgeon, personal trainer, or anyone else who may be helping you treat a painful condition to give you a straight answer when you ask "how long will this take?" or even "Is this going to help me?"

It is nearly impossible for any health or wellness professional to evaluate you for all of the above sufficiently enough to know whether or not the tools they have at their disposal can help you sufficiently manage your painful condition.

The Many Factors That Can Influence Pain

Summarizing the categories, here are just a few of the things we can see:

• Individual factors (Age, Genetics, Personal Health History, etc)

• Psychological Factors (Mental Health, Stress, Control of life events, Emotional Response)

• Biomechanical Factors (Quality of Movement, Motor Control, Mechanical loading)

• Nociceptive Factors (Sensation, Chemical pain release, Endogenous pain management)

• Tissue Injury (how much damage, if any, there is to the structure/ tissue)

• Behavioral/Lifestyle Factors( Diet, Sleep, Life Stress, Coping Mechanisms, etc)

• Social/Work Factors (Work stress, fulfillment, lonliness, hope, religion, etc...)

So, What Is the Point?

So, what is the point of drawing your attention to all of this?

The point is this: if your pain is not so simple, then the solution to your pain is often a bit more complex than most would assume. Knowing this, it should bring you cause to question your approach to pain.

There Is Hope When It Comes to Managing Pain

Here's the good news: when you are experiencing pain, and you aren't sure what is causing it, it is more than likely a combination of smaller interplaying factors than it is a major injury. And there is SO MUCH you can do on your own for free to combat these factors.

If you are finding that you have an emotional response to pain which worsens the sensation of pain for you, then you might choose to address it with an experienced counselor or Pyschiatrist.

You might need to change your nutrition to include more whole foods or a micronutrient that's been low in your diet.

You might want to improve your mobility and flexibility or strength to better tolerate the demands of a challenging job.

You may need to address your sleep hygiene to ensure you are setting yourself up for the best sleep possible, because that's the primary thing YOU can point to that seems to be most dysfunctional in your life right now.

There are so many things you can do, and many of them for free, that can make an impact for you if you are experiencing long-term pain, and you're not sure where to go from here.

Two Questions to Help You Move Forward

If you want some guidance in where to go from here, I'll leave you with two questions to ask yourself to get you pointed in the right direction.

First, take a look at some of the factors listed above and ask yourself this: of all these categories, where do I feel like I am negatively impacted the most? If it is psychological or stress-related, a counselor or psychologist may be the person who can best help you.

Second, take a look again and ask yourself: what is the easiest thing I can do to move myself in the right direction today? This may just be calling a friend. Or it may be that you go for a walk for some fresh air.

Focus on Progress, Not Perfection

The first question gives you something to focus on that may result in the largest impact on your overal pain and potentially your health as a whole. The second question gives you a concrete thing that can move you forward with the least friction possible, starting you with momentum you can build on.

You Have More Tools Than You Think

This information should give you hope. There are a lot of tools at your disposal when it comes to treatment and managing your pain.

If you would like some help in walking through some of these components, I've created a masterclass on addressing pain that helps get you started. CLICK HERE to access it for free!