Ever Wonder Why Stress Leads to Shoulder Pain?
Alright, I know you’ve experienced this: you have a stressful day at work, or the kids won’t stop screaming and running around the house, or you receive an unexpected medical bill. And you begin to feel some tightness in your neck and shoulder. Maybe it starts as some stiffness, but it soon becomes sore, achy, and painful to move your arm or neck very much.
Could this pain be related to life stressors, or is it simply a problem with your muscles and tissues?
Well, if you’ve followed us much, or read our Manifesto, you know that we take a biopsychosocial approach to healthcare. That means we know that it’s not just muscles, bones, and tissues that can lead to pain and limitations. Emotional stress, anxiety, and trauma also impact our physical function, strength, and pain levels.
Interview with Pop Sugar
I was able to sit down with the nice folks over at Pop Sugar to talk a bit about how our stress response influence shoulder and neck pain.
Below is an excerpt, but you can read the full article here.
Rafael E. Salazar II, MHS, OTR/L, CEO and president of ProActive Rehabilitation and Wellness, also added that cortisol — a stress hormone made by the body — may be one of the culprits in causing aches and pains in different parts of the body, such as the shoulders. According to research, prolonged cortisol responses by the body could result in cortisol dysfunction. Cortisol dysfunction, in turn, acts as the catalyst for inflammation, which has the ability to cause even more inflammation, pain, and even depression. “We are made up of the biological part, sure, but we also have emotional, psychological, and environmental or social factors that affect each of us differently,” said Salazar. “Taking a biopsychosocial approach to healthcare where we’re looking at all factors, not just muscles and tissues, helps us to better understand what may be causing shoulder pain.” Salazar also added that the relationship between chronic pain and stress is close — when our anxiety and stress increases, our awareness of pain does as well.
Addressing Stress-Related Shoulder Pain
Now understanding the connection between stress and pain does little good for you if that information doesn’t help you address the problem at hand. Below is another excerpt from the article about just that.
Thankfully there are ways to free yourself from stress-induced shoulder pain if you are experiencing it firsthand. An important thing to keep in mind while trying to treat stress-induced pain is to do so by digging deep down and treating the root cause: stress. Salazar recommended doing this by learning effective coping mechanisms and calming strategies to help keep stress at bay. “Sure, you can use physical agent modalities like heat and e-stim; and even manual therapy like massage,” said Salazar, “but unless you are addressing the root cause — stress — you will continue to experience elevated pain and limited function.”
Shoulder Stress Interview Questions & Answers
Here are the original questions that were asked when crafting the original article. I know a lot of people like getting the “behind-the-scenes” look at some of these publications and articles.
1. How does stress lead to shoulder pain? What is the scientific health reason this sometimes happens?
As I tell all of my patients & clients, humans are complex (tell me something I don’t know, right?). We are not just muscles, tissues, and joints. We are made up of the biological part, sure, but we also have emotional, psychological, and environmental/social factors that affect each of us differently. Taking a biopsychosocial approach to healthcare (where we’re looking at all factors, not just muscles & tissues) helps us to better understand what may be causing shoulder pain.
For starters, stress may result in psychosomatic symptoms, such as shoulder pain. This may happen due to increased cortisol in the bloodstream (a stresshormone); but the patient may experience increased tone in their upper trapezius muscles (that run from their shoulder to their neck). This can cause pain with shoulder & neck movement. With many of the veterans I treated with PTSD who had shoulder pain, sometimes a flashback or reliving of a traumatic event could cause muscle tension throughout their upper body, including the shoulder and neck. What we know about chronic pain & stress is this: whenever anxiety or stress increases, so too our perception or awareness of pain increases as well.
2. How can we prevent this from happening?
The most effective way of preventing this from happening is by addressing the root of the problem, which would be the source of the stress. When I treated chronic pain at the VA, it was surprising how many veterans would come into my clinic after having tried multiple different treatments aimed at addressing the “shoulder pain” only. That strategy fails to provide long-term relief because it doesn’t address the precipitating factor of that pain: the stress.
So, the best preventative measures involve strategies aimed at improving emotional regulation, increasing calm, and decreasing stress. Regular mindfulness practices, or mind-body exercises like Tai Chi have been shown to be effective. Learning appropriate emotional regulation strategies & coping mechanisms helps as well.
3. If we were not able to prevent this from happening, how can we help alleviate it?
The best way to do this is outlined in the previous answer. Learning effective coping mechanisms and calming strategies is the best way to alleviate the shoulder pain associated with stress. Sure, you can use physical agent modalities like heat and e-stim; and even manual therapy like massage, but unless you are addressing the root cause (stress), you will continue to experience elevated pain and limited function.
4. And any other important facts you feel the reader should know about this topic.
The most important thing to remember is that, it’s not always the muscles or tissues. Oftentimes, especially with chronic & stress-related pain, treating the tissues won’t & can’t provide long-term relief. You need to get down to the root of the problem.
Summary
Hopefully this article and interview helps shed some light on the connection between stress and shoulder pain. I always tell people that pain involves a whole host of factors and can’t be boiled down to one single thing, like stress. However, it’s also important to understand how each of those factors can affect our experience of pain.
If you want to get guidance on your specific situation and shoulder pain, and live in the Augusta Area, book an appointment with us here.
