Pain Relief From Stress & Tension

Stress and tension don’t just weigh on the mind—they take a serious toll on the body. When stress lingers, muscles tighten and contract, leading to discomfort and inflammation. Over time, this tension can trigger a buildup of lactic acid, causing deep aches in the neck, shoulders, back, and even the head. And if pain is already present, stress acts as fuel, intensifying the discomfort and making relief feel out of reach.

​General Approaches to Stress-Related Pain

(also see anxiety)

• Massage

Min-Body Exercises

-Deep breathing,

-Guided imagery

-Mindfulness

-Try Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercises: This is done by tightening muscle groups for eight seconds then relaxing them for several seconds: Begin with facial muscles, with the face, moving to the scalp - tighten muscles eight seconds, then relax; then the neck, doing with each muscle group of the chest, back, pelvis, extremities and so on. This releases some tension and stress. If you do not have time to move through all of your muscle groups, do this with those muscles you believe have the most tension.

• Meditation

• Yoga

• Tai Chi

• Exercise - Low impact

• Walk away from your desk for a few minutes and stretch

• Calming Music

• Get plenty of sleep

• Hydration

• Warm packs/heating pad - 15-30 minutes, about 3-4 times a day- helps relax muscles

• Counseling-Cognitive behavioral therapy

• A healthy diet (an anti-inflammatory diet that particularly recommends that you eliminate processed foods)

• Hydrotherapy and/or warm baths with Epsom Salts

  
  

​Over-the-Counter

• NSAIDS: These include Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), Naproxen (Aleve), and Aspirin and are quite effective in decreasing pain in many cases. They are always good medications to start with if you are having pain - especially pain from inflammation (almost all pain has some element of inflammation). BUT on a long-term basis, these medicines can cause gastric ulcers and bleeding as well as kidney and blood pressure issues, so beware - alternate your pain medications (NSAIDS) if possible - ibuprofen to Tylenol or a prescription medicine. Speak to your PCP about this, and also, consider taking a stomach acid-reducing medicine (common: omeprazole/Prilosec or famotidine/Pepcid and others) while taking NSAIDs. Remember: Aspirin thins your blood and can cause you to bleed more easily.

  Acetaminophen (common: Tylenol), on the other hand, is not an anti-inflammatory but a pain reliever instead. Tylenol works a little bit differently than anti-inflammatories because it stops pain transmission in the nervous system. It doesn’t work to reduce inflammation. This is also a good medication but used excessively, can cause liver problems. Again, consider alternating this with ibuprofen every few weeks or speak to your PCP about getting another prescription pain medication.

There is now a combination product that has both ibuprofen and acetaminophen in it (Advil Dual Action), which makes a lot of sense, since they both work in different ways.

Topical Pain Relievers

• Menthyl salicylate (an anti-inflammatory related to aspirin)

• Voltaren/diclofenac

Considered Natural and Herbal Remedies

• Aromatherapy

• Ginger

• Turmeric

• L-Theanine

Prescriptive Treatment

• Muscle relaxers (common: Flexeril)

• Anti-anxiety medications (common: Cymbalta, benzodiazepines like Xanax, Ativan). Benzodiazepines are potentially addictive controlled substances.

Pain From Stress and Tension

If recommended measures for pain relief from stress & tension fail, pain clinics further work up, diagnose pain and work with a more holistic approach. These clinics have providers who help diagnose painful conditions, prescribe medications, give injections, provide physical therapy, occupational therapy, and provide other approaches to pain like cognitive behavioral therapy (psych), to help alter the perception of and tolerance to pain. This is an ideal approach to hard-to-control chronic pain.

If you have any questions about your pain, see a healthcare provider. Treat early.