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Stress and musculoskeletal pain often occur together.  Some of the latest research points to chronic stress as a causative factor in back pain, neck pain, arthritis, chronic pain and recurrent injuries.

Do you hear yourself in any of these?

If yes, it’s time to rethink how stress can impact your health. Constant low-grade stress suppresses your immune system.  With immunity suppressed healing from injury may be slow. Rebuilding muscle, cartilage and bone needed for recovery can become a challenge as well.

What are the warning signs that stress may be affecting your health?

Here is a useful table of the more common signs of stress we see at Premier Physical Therapy.

Three Strategies For Decreasing Stress and Healing Pain

Nourish Your Gut

New research is revealing how stress causes our gut to become inflamed, alters healthy bacteria that live in our gut and can lead to chronic problems such as irritable bowl syndrome. Healthy gut bacteria produce B vitamins our body uses for energy. Focus on a whole foods, plant-based diet and decrease processed, high-sugar foods. A probiotic can also help rebalance healthy gut bacteria in your intestine. If your diet is poor you could be deficient in essential vitamins and minerals which can also lead to slow or delayed healing.

Embrace Exercise

Staying active reduces stress, but did you know exercise can HELP as well as EXACERBATE stress levels? Moderate amounts of physical activity release “feel-good” chemicals called endorphins in your brain. Endorphins elevate mood and improve stress-damaged thinking. Studies show exercise can be as effective as antidepressant drugs. However, too much exercise can increase the burden on your body. If you are under a lot of stress, now is not the time to train for a marathon. Be aware of where you are physically and build slowly.

Seek Social Support

Pull out your calendar and schedule in some fun! Support from friends and family are critical during stressful times. Seek solace with that one friend who provides useful strategies to negotiate life. Or someone who makes you laugh and forget life’s woes. Now is not the time to close the door in isolation. You don’t have to be out every night, find what works for you. A coffee date, a movie or a walk in the park with a loved one once a week may provide the boost you need.

We all have stress in our life. Your body is well designed to deal with temporary stress. Chronic stress like job, relationship or financial problems can have devastating effects on your health.

Pick one or two strategies above and set a 30-day goal to schedule them each week. In a month you will feel less stressed and more vitalized.

If ridding yourself of pain is part of your 30-day goal along with exercise contact us at Premier Physical Therapy.

Joe Tatta, DPT

References

Blumenthal JA, et al. Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression. Arch Intern Med. 1999 Oct 25;159(19):2349-56.

Jensen MP, et al. Coping with chronic pain: a critical review of the literature. Pain. 1991 Dec;47(3):249-83.

McEwen BS. Stress, adaptation, and disease. Allostasis and allostatic load. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1998 May 1;840:33-44.

Zhao Q. Relationship between the incidence of chronic pain and academic pressure in high school students. Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2014 Dec;94(48):3831-5.

Vanuytsel T. Psychological stress and corticotropin-releasing hormone increase intestinal permeability in humans by a mast cell-dependent mechanism. Gut. 2014 Aug;63(8):1293-9.

Cotman C, et al. Corrigendum: Exercise builds brain health: key roles of growth factor cascades and inflammation: Trends in Neurosciences 30 (2007) 9, 464–472