Dorothy FarrarStress pain
The human organism is exposed to a multitude of stresses every day. Excessive physical exertion can cause stress pain as an alarm sign. In contrast to movement pain, stress-related pain is associated with severe physical stress.
What is stress pain?
Pain therapists speak of stress pain when movement pain is felt primarily with increasing mechanical stress or physical exertion . This type of pain differs from pure movement pain in its causes. If the demands on physical exertion are significantly higher than in normal processes, this can cause stress pain. On the other hand, those affected perceive movement pain even with average exertion.
There is no clear definition of the extent of the stress, which varies from person to person. Stress-related pain occurs mainly in the supporting and musculoskeletal system as well as in the heart and vascular system. If pain occurs due to stress on the cardiovascular system, this can be a sign of insufficient blood flow in the coronary arteries. In the case of arthrosis, the stress-related pain is an important indication of the development of inflammatory changes and damage in the articular cartilage . Bones , intervertebral discs , ligaments and joints, but also fascia , muscles and tendons can suffer from stress -related painto be affected.
Causes
Various influences can be considered as triggers for stress-related pain. The pain conditions arise when additional physical exertion or mechanical stress is added to the actual movement sequences affecting motor functions, such as lifting a weight or climbing stairs with heavy shopping bags. If stress-related pain occurs spontaneously, for example during sports, the cause is usually overloading of the joints, tendons or ligaments.The pain is often caused by repetitive movements or excessive physical exertion. However, pain when moving caused by cartilage damage can also manifest itself as stress-related pain. This pain problem is favored by inflammatory processes in the articular cartilage, which limit the freedom from friction. Stress-related pain also occurs in connection with certain pre-existing or concomitant diseases, such as bone tumors and metabolic disorders.
Neurological diseases such as polyneuropathy, Parkinson’s disease or fibromyalgia are also considered to be causes of stress-related pain. Rheumatism patients often complain about pain caused by movement and stress, since joints, muscles or blood vessels are subjected to increased demands, which increases the intensity of the pain. In osteoarthritis, the different types of pain provide important information about the stage of the disease. The more advanced osteoarthritis is, the more severe the pain becomes under stress, which doctors call stress or fatigue pain.
Diseases
When to the doctor?
Persistent stress-related pain should be checked by a doctor. If the body is permanently exposed to stress, the general condition deteriorates continuously. Symptoms such as dissatisfaction or pain appear gradually and insidiously. In the case of stress-related pain, there are often complaints that affect the skeleton or the joints.
If no medical measures are taken, the risk of irreparable damage increases. Disability to work is possible in the event of non-treatment. People can only process and compensate for situations of overload for a few weeks. If the conditions persist, a doctor should always be consulted. This applies to both physical and mental stress.
The experience of pain is perceived individually and rated by many people as tolerable and surmountable. In most cases, however, these are misjudgements. With increasing age, the body can no longer compensate for persistent stress in the same way as when it was young. Stress-related pain can be a sign of other illnesses.
In addition to diseases of the metabolic system, damage to the nerves can also occur. In addition, a doctor must clarify that the pain caused by stress is not a chronic disease such as rheumatism, gout or arthrosis. These diseases have a progressive course and require further medical therapy measures. Stress-related pain can be triggered by poor posture that only a doctor can correct.
Diagnosis and course
Many sufferers describe the typical stress-related pain as a kind of start-up pain. Especially after strenuous physical exertion or one-sided postures, the pain is often quite severe. However, the course can be very different. Sometimes the pain is very intense, sometimes hardly noticeable. In many cases, a permanent pain develops after some time, which is additionally intensified by movement pain. The pain processes described by patients are similar to those of arthrosis. The intensity of the pain often varies considerably in those affected, which is why it is important for the diagnosis to know in which body regions the stress-related pain can be localized.
Pain from exertion is often stabbing, pulling, or nagging. In most cases, one area is particularly painful, such as the hip , shoulder or elbow , but neighboring areas of the body are often also affected. During the first consultation, the doctor receives helpful information about the cause of the pain. It is also important to find out where the pain generally occurs after exertion or whether it is also noticeable during rest periods and at night. During the physical examination, the doctor focuses primarily on pain points on the musculoskeletal system that are sensitive to knocking. Imaging methods such as ultrasound and X -rays are also used to find the triggers for stress- related painor blood tests are used. In this way, congenital malformations or dysfunctions caused by previous illnesses can be identified.
Complications
Stress pain is familiar to most athletes and active people, as it is not uncommon, especially for them. Like any kind of pain, stress-related pain is also the body’s signal that something is wrong and that stress is just wrong. However, active people in particular tend to overlook stress pain because they are so familiar with it – and with that they also overlook the associated injury. If they then continue with sport or even just exercise, they risk making what was previously a minor injury much worse.
If stress pain already occurs, this area can no longer be loaded to the usual extent and is particularly at risk of suffering serious injuries. Stress pain is also a warning signal if the person concerned does not do any sport at all. In these cases they are, for example, the first signs of arthrosis or arthritis , growing pains or pain as a result of the wrong shoes.
Most complications of worse than necessary injuries occur because this type of exertional pain is simply overlooked. But it is just as dangerous to take painkillers in such high doses that you no longer feel the pain. This is often done after a known injury has healed so that you can do sports again – but this would not tell you when a load is still too much for the injured joint.
Treatment and therapy
Basically, stress-related pain indicates that the body is exposed to excessive stress or that pathogenic movement sequences have become established. The doctor can effectively treat minor pain of a temporary nature with anti-inflammatory and pain- relieving drugs . If the stress-related pain has manifested itself and recurs, a chronic pain disorder develops. Then modern pain therapy offers various treatment options. Multimodal pain therapy is a scientifically proven form of treatment with combined therapy measures that works according to the principle of the biopsychosocial complaints model.
In the case of chronic stress-related pain, the quality of life of patients can be significantly improved through a targeted approach. Those affected learn to deal better with the pain symptoms and train their mobility. The deepening of learned techniques and the build-up of motivation are also part of the treatment concept. In addition to the drug treatment of stress-related pain, physical or physiotherapeutic methods are also used.
If the pain is not only associated with heavy stress, but if articular cartilage has already been damaged or destroyed, innovative surgical procedures are also used, for example a cartilage transplant. Other proven methods for relieving stress pain are cold and heat treatments . Cortisone injections tooare used to treat pain and inflammation. The doctor injects the steroid hormone directly into the joint, such as the elbow or shoulder. The medical concepts for stress-related pain also include the introduction of painkillers via a catheter into the affected area of the body. These drugs contain substances that block the transmission of pain stimuli.
Stress-related pain caused by a broken bone or a twisted joint can be treated with additional therapy methods such as acupuncture . In the case of an injury-related destruction of the joint, the implantation of an endoprosthesis can be useful. This joint replacement is most commonly used for problems with knee and hip joints. All treatment concepts are fundamentally based on the body regions in which those affected feel the pain most intensely.
Outlook and prognosis
Stress-related pain arises for a variety of reasons. The most common causes involve the cardiovascular system and the musculoskeletal system. In the cardiovascular system, coronary heart disease (CHD) leads to insufficient blood flow in the coronary arteries, which leads to an undersupply of the heart muscle and the typical stress-related pain. The prognosis of CHD depends on how many narrowings there are in the coronary arteries and where they are located. In addition, it is also important whether other diseases such as high blood pressure , diabetes, vasoconstriction or heart failure are present. Psychological factors such as social isolation or depressionadversely affect the prognosis.
If there was already a heart attack, the prognosis is further worsened. If CHD is detected early, the bottlenecks can be treated with medication or removed surgically, so that the quality of life is improved again. In general, the person affected should also change their lifestyle, such as doing sports or giving up smoking, in order to improve the prognosis again.
In the musculoskeletal system, stress pain occurs in arthrosis. Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory process that wears down the articular cartilage. Since the articular cartilage does not regenerate, arthrosis cannot be cured. However, the further course of the disease can be prevented by special sport and the prognosis for a deterioration can be improved. In addition, sports should be practiced that require an even utilization of the joints, as is the case with jogging or cycling. Unilateral use of the joints should be avoided as far as possible in order not to worsen the prognosis.
Prevention
In principle, it is possible to prevent stress-related pain. First and foremost, it is important not to put excessive strain on the body through physical exertion or mechanical stress. Avoiding bad posture also serves as a prophylactic measure. Physical activities such as walking, Nordic walking, swimming, yoga or cycling stimulate blood circulation in all relevant body components. With balanced and regular exercise, signs of wear can be reduced or prevented.Only those who exercise enough can be sure that the articular cartilage absorbs enough nutrients . In order to prevent stress-related pain, targeted strengthening of the supporting and musculoskeletal system is particularly recommended. Because muscle performance has a major impact on posture, a trained musculature creates the best conditions for giving the supporting and holding apparatus the necessary stability.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.