Dealing With Arthritis Pain: It's Not Just About The Joints 
The start of arthritis pain is undeniably physical. Pain comes from pressure on nerve endings due to joint damage and muscle tightness or inflammatory substances in the joint fluid. These nerve endings send sensory information to the brain. The brain then “perceives” this information and interprets these signals. This is when we feel what we know as “pain”. However, this takes on a psychological as well as physical side of things. Let me explain. The mental and physical factors of pain combine differently in people. This is what makes the pain experience for each person so different. The same painful stimulus can be very painful for one but only mildly uncomfortable for another. This is often as a result of how each person’s brain interprets the pain signals. This interpretation of the pain is influenced by a person’s moods, thoughts, and feelings. In a study, people were told they would receive a moderate pain stimulus but instead received an intense pain stimulus. They rated the pain about a third lower than when they were told they were going to receive an intense pain stimulus. MRI scans of the brain showed lower activity when the volunteers of the study were given the false expectation of a lower pain stimulus than was actually given. Pain which continues day after day creates a lot of stress on the body and the brain. It can alter your psychological state. Thinking too much about the pain develops a sense of loss of control. This can make it feel worse and can affect all aspects of the things you do. You can find yourself fixated on the pain and feel it is more intense than it is actually. It is best to try to break this cycle of pain. Fortunately, you can do this and break out of this downward spiral and a critical element is feeling a sense of control. There are several ways you can do this. The Arthritis Foundation’s Self Help Course can help raise your spirits. Also, find ways to relax. Pain causes muscles to tighten and can increase your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. We use stretching here at our clinic to reduce muscle tension and also reduce pressure on the joints. This combination gives you a method to help control your pain, hopefully with less medication if possible. We also offer yoga classes on Thursdays at 5:30 to 6:45 PM and Saturdays at 10:30 to 11:45 AM to help reduce muscle tightness and stress. Controlling stress levels is important to reducing your overall pain levels. We have seen this help for neck, low back, as well as shoulder, arm, leg and foot pain. If you are interested in these or other programs to help you control your arthritis pain, give us a call at 301-759-4263 for more information. Try therapy first at TriState Hand & Occupational Therapy and take back control of your life for you and your family. |
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