When you’re stressed, your whole body may suffer from pain due to tension, stress hormones, or lack of sleep. And, conversely, living with pain creates a lot of stress.
Pain and stress exist together in what can become a negative cycle that overwhelms your health and limits your life.
This cycle is deeply connected to your nervous system. When stress activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) — your body’s “fight-or-flight” response — it increases muscle tension, inflammation, and sensitivity to pain. Over time, chronic SNS activation can intensify both pain and emotional stress.
In contrast, activating the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) — your “rest-and-digest” system — helps calm the body, lower pain perception, and promote healing.
But, by improving your pain management or stress management, you might be able to significantly relieve your symptoms and attain a much better quality of life.
The interventional pain management specialists at Alpenglow Pain & Wellness, led by Dr. Nichelle C. Renk and Dr. Gavin Nixon, understand the link between chronic stress and chronic pain. We offer treatments and therapies to better support your health and wellness from our location in Anchorage, Alaska. Could any of these three ideas break you out of a negative cycle?
If you’re living with breakthrough chronic pain that often flares up, consult with the team at Alpenglow Pain & Wellness and discover new and more effective approaches to pain management. We support new and existing patients in getting persistent pain symptoms under control.
Treatment options may include ketamine therapy,spinal cord stimulation, , or physical therapy. In addition, interventional procedures that target the nervous system can play a key role in relief. For example, stellate ganglion blocks and other spinal nerve blocks are designed to reduce overactivity in the sympathetic nervous system, helping calm the body’s stress response and decrease both pain and overall tension.
Lifestyle changes can also make a positive impact on your pain levels. Changing or supplementing your diet, spending more time in gentle physical activity, or improving your physical strength can all make a difference in your experience of pain – and, in turn, reduce the associated stress of your chronic pain condition.
You can also approach the cycle of pain and stress from the direction of improved stress management. Take control of your stress, and you may find that your chronic pain improves.
Effective stress management strategies include:
For stress management, aspects of your lifestyle like diet and sleep also make a difference. Reduce caffeine dependency, take more time to eat your meals slowly and deliberately, and start relaxing for sleep earlier in the evening. Avoid relying on substances like alcohol for stress relief, as alcohol can actually make your pain and stress symptoms worse.
At Alpenglow Pain & Wellness, Dr. Renk and Dr. Nixon support patients in learning more about pain psychology.
When your body is stuck in a prolonged stress response (SNS activation), it can increase emotional distress, anxiety, and even depression. Strengthening your parasympathetic response, however, can improve resilience, emotional regulation, and your ability to cope with discomfort.
That’s why, when you understand more about the psychological aspects of pain, you’re better positioned to find the right path forward for you.
You may need to adjust your expectations or ground yourself more firmly in a positive mindset. Your psychological approach to pain makes a significant difference in your resilience, allowing you to “roll with the punches” and avoid the depression and other mental health struggles that often afflict people living with pain or stress.
Breaking the cycle of chronic pain and stress is possible — especially when you address both the physical and neurological components. By calming the nervous system, improving pain management, and building effective stress relief strategies, many patients experience significant improvements in their overall wellbeing.
For personalized advice on pain management or stress relief, reach out to Dr. Renk and Dr. Nixon at Alpenglow Pain & Wellness this spring. To schedule your initial consultation appointment, contact us online or over the phone now.
