Pain. We’ve all felt it at some point, whether from a scraped knee as a child or the deeper, more enduring aches that come from more significant injuries. Unfortunately for many, pain is not just a fleeting sensation, but a constant companion, a reminder of injury, illness, or stress. Let’s look at what is pain is exactly? More importantly, how do we learn to live with it, understand it, and ultimately, overcome it?
The Science Behind Pain
Pain isn’t just something that happens in the body. It is a full-body experience that involves the brain, the nerves, and even our emotions (Ahler, 2020). At its core, pain starts when our body senses something isn’t right. Such as stepping on a sharp stone or twisting an ankle. This sends signals through the nervous system to the brain, which then interprets these signals as pain.
But here’s the interesting part, the brain doesn’t just “feel” pain. It decides how much pain to feel. It’s like a control room, adjusting the volume up or down based on past experiences, emotions, and even our beliefs about what pain means (Caneiro, Bunzli & O’Sullivan, 2021). Understanding that pain is a complex blend of physical and emotional factors is the first step in learning to manage it.
Different Kinds of Pain, Different Kinds of Learning
Pain comes in many forms. Acute pain still requires some education focused on injury management, healing timelines, and evidence-based rehabilitative strategies to recover quickly and safely (Moseley et al., 2024). Then there’s chronic pain. The kind that lingers, sometimes long after an injury has healed. This type of pain is much more complicated as it’s not just about the body. It’s also about how the brain continues to respond to old signals (Moseley et al., 2024). In these instances, education involves understanding how thoughts, feelings, and even daily habits can keep the pain cycle going. This is why providing education to our clients that while their pain is real, it doesn’t always mean harm, and that by changing how we think about pain, we can change how much pain we feel.
Putting Pain Education into Practice
Education shouldn’t be a one-time lecture. It’s woven into every conversation, every exercise, and every bit of progress the client makes. It starts by listening to their story, understanding where they’re coming from, and gently guiding them to see pain in a new light. We create personalised education plans that fit their unique needs, using simple language and relatable examples (Bülow et al., 2021). It’s about meeting them where they are, not where we think they should be.
Final Thoughts: The Real Power of Pain Education
At its core, pain education is about giving people their lives back. It’s about showing them that pain doesn’t have to be the enemy, it can be a teacher. It’s about helping them see that they are not broken, that there is hope, and that by learning about their pain, they can learn to live with it, manage it, and, in many cases, overcome it!
Pain is a journey, and for those of us in the field of Exercise Physiology our role is to help people navigate their pain with knowledge, compassion, and creativity (Bülow et al., 2021). It’s not always easy, but the reward of seeing someone reclaim their life from pain is well worth the investment. Let’s continue to find new ways to educate, empower, and inspire. Because everyone deserves to live a life beyond pain.
Contact us!
If you or someone you know lives with chronic pain chat to us! Exercise Physiologists have the knowledge and expertise to provide a tailored exercise program or physical activity plan to suit people of all backgrounds and ages to support their physical and social wellbeing.
Want to talk to one of our team and find out how we can support you and your goals? Contact us today!
Written by Uplift Exercise Physiologist, Tristan Coetzer
References:
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Ahlers, A. L. (2020). The impact of trauma on the brain and body: Alternative approaches to treatment.
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Caneiro, J. P., Bunzli, S., & O’Sullivan, P. (2021). Beliefs about the body and pain: the critical role in musculoskeletal pain management. Brazilian journal of physical therapy, 25(1), 17-29.
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Moseley, G. L., Murphy, L. K., Murray, C. B., & Heathcote, L. C. How does pain work? A qualitative analysis of how young adults with chronic pain conceptualise the biology of pain.
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Slater, H., Jordan, J. E., O’Sullivan, P. B., Schütze, R., Goucke, R., Chua, J., … & Briggs, A. M. (2022). “Listen to me, learn from me”: a priority setting partnership for shaping interdisciplinary pain training to strengthen chronic pain care. Pain, 163(11), e1145-e1163.
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Bülow, K., Lindberg, K., Vaegter, H. B., & Juhl, C. B. (2021). Effectiveness of pain neurophysiology education on musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain Medicine, 22(4), 891-904.
