Lower Threat for Pain and Performance

We navigate through our daily lives most easily when things are predictable. There is a clear cause and effect, and we know what to expect based on what happens. Our car will get us to work. Working out will make us feel good and make us stronger.

Conversely, the world is scary if we can’t predict it. When things don’t go according to plan, and we’re in a situation that no longer feels safe, perceived threat increases. This sends alarms through our brain and nervous system.

What if you got injured the last time you went to the gym? What if your back hurt unexpectedly when you were going about your day? Now, you’re not sure what’s safe and what’s not.

What can happen to the body then? It tenses and slows down – the brain won’t let you be fast if it doesn’t think it’s safe to do so (how fast will you drive your car if you’re unsure if the brakes are working?) And often, our pain sensitivity increases as a way to stop us from proceeding.

Most of the time, the body’s natural healing propensity kicks in, and as long as things don’t get in its way, it will heal and feel better. But sometimes, it lasts much longer than expected. A pattern of heightened threat response may be one of the reasons. In other words, when the brain has a pattern of feeling threatened (by pain and other stressors alike), it is harder for our system to heal.

It has been shown in studies that people with chronic pain perceive more threats in their brains than those without chronic pain, regardless of whether there is tissue injury or not. This is then correlated with more frequent, more intense, and more distressing episodes of pain and dysfunction. In a nutshell, this becomes a cycle of feeling pain, reinforcing the pain patterns in our nervous system, and then feeling more pain.

An interesting study correlated to predictability, threat and pain. When shown bistable images (like the one below, where the brain has a hard time predicting whether it’s a duck or a rabbit), 73% of people with CRPS (a chronic pain condition) experience an increase in pain, and 13% are so stressed out they feel the need to stop looking at the image.

The world is scary if we can’t predict outcomes. Some of our protective responses can include:

* Weakness
* Pain
* Fatigue
* Nausea
* Migraines
* Dizziness
* Tension/Inflexibility

Pain does not equal injury. We can feel pain when this alarm system is too sensitive. What to do with that? Physical activity* and reframing the pain is one of the best preventative measures against alarm systems becoming oversensitive.

*Train with variability to prepare for all situations the world will present. You can vary