It turns out that a person's tolerance for pain is as unique as the person and is determined by a number of biological factors as well as psychological factors.
How do we feel pain?
Pain is your brain's way of interpreting information about the specific sensation your body is experiencing. Messages about this painful sensation are sent to your brain through neural pathways. When these signals enter the brain, they are processed and interpreted.
Many different areas within the brain process signals to work out where the injury or other cause is, what that means to you, identify any threat of ongoing harm, and then interpret the level of pain we feel.
There are two steps to feeling pain
- The first is the biological step, such as a tingling of the skin or a headache. These feelings signal to the brain that the body is in trouble.
- The second step is the brain's perception of pain: do we shake off these feelings and continue our activities, or do we stop everything and focus on the pain?
Pain is both a biochemical and neurotransmission of an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. Chronic pain actually changes the way the spinal cord, nerves, and brain process unpleasant stimuli, leading to hypersensitivity, but the brain and emotions can reduce or exacerbate pain. Past experiences and trauma can affect a person's sensitivity to pain.
measure pain
Reliable and valid pain measurement is critical for assessing treatment effectiveness. It involves more than just measuring pain intensity, as pain interference is also important. Pain interference refers to personally reported consequences, including effects on social relationships, satisfaction, and enjoyment of activities.
Pain assessment must recognize that pain is personal and subjective, and subjective reports should be respected.
Objective pain measurement tools are considered inappropriate and self-reported measures of pain, disability, and quality of life are recommended.
The choice of pain assessment depends on factors such as duration, condition, population, and patient preference.
Here are some examples of pain measurement:
Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)
Numeric rating scales (NRS) use numbers to rate pain. Patients verbally or visually indicate their pain on a scale of 0-10 or 0-100, where 0 represents no pain and 10 or 100 represents the worst pain. NRS is easy to use and can be used remotely.
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
The visual analog scale (VAS) assesses pain intensity by asking the patient to mark a point on a scale. It can measure the worst, mildest or average pain over a period of time, but it is not as practical as the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS).
Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ)
The SF-MPQ is a questionnaire that measures different aspects of pain, including sensory and emotional dimensions. It consists of 11 sensory descriptors and 4 emotion descriptors, which patients rate according to a scale. Pain scores were calculated based on these ratings as well as ratings of current pain intensity on two other scales.
What drives your pain tolerance?
The nature of how humans experience pain is complex, and many factors influence an individual's pain tolerance.
- Genes may play a role in certain types of pain. Injuries including genetics, spinal cord injuries, and chronic conditions such as diabetes that cause nerve damage can also affect our understanding of pain.
- Age may affect the experience of certain pain.
- A person's gender may also affect their pain tolerance. Hormones, physical and neuronal differences between men and women, and social factors also appear to influence this difference.
- Stress levels may influence other factors that cause a person to feel tense or expect pain and other stressors.
- The anticipation of pain also plays an important role in how people experience pain. People who anticipate higher levels of pain may experience pain more intensely when it comes.
- The type of pain a person has experienced before can also affect how they experience pain in the future. Temperature is an example of this fact.
- Athletes can tolerate more pain than inactive people.
- When entering a very hot or very cold climate, people may feel these temperature extremes acutely. After living in these conditions for a long time, they may become accustomed to these temperatures.
- Past experiences also influence expectations. If a person remembers a painful experience, they may expect similar pain to occur in the future, making the experience more painful if it happens again.
- Some people with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety may experience increased feelings of distress.
- Chronic conditions that cause pain may also lead to certain allergies. People with chronic pain may become hypersensitive to this type of pain, effectively lowering their pain tolerance.
- Medications Taken
- Severe lack of sleep or insomnia, or lifestyle choices. People who smoke or are obese report worse pain.
- Depression and anxiety can make people more sensitive to pain.
sensitive side
Some surprising biological factors may also play a role in pain tolerance. For example, recent research suggests that one side of the body may experience pain differently than the other.
One study showed that right-handed study participants could tolerate more pain with their right hand than their left. The study also showed that women are more sensitive to pain than men. But women and men have the same ability to tolerate pain intensity. If you're right-handed, your right hand may interpret pain more quickly and more accurately than your non-dominant hand, which may explain why you can tolerate it longer with your dominant hand.
Deal with pain better
A person's biological makeup can influence whether they become resistant to painkillers, meaning treatments that were once effective no longer relieve pain. This may be a "vicious cycle" that needs to be broken. You'll receive more treatments and become more tolerant, but you'll become less active and experience more pain.
We cannot change our genetic receptors, and not even changing your hair color or which hand you use to write can change your sensitivity to pain. However, there are some coping mechanisms that can influence the brain's perception of pain.
How to improve pain tolerance?
Improving pain tolerance involves both physical and psychological strategies. Here are some methods that may help:
gradually exposed
Gradually exposing yourself to mildly uncomfortable or painful stimuli can help your body and mind become desensitized to pain over time. Start with small challenges and gradually increase the intensity or duration as you become more comfortable.
regular exercise
Regular physical activity increases your pain tolerance by releasing endorphins, which are natural painkillers produced by the body. Designed to combine cardiovascular exercise, strength training and flexibility exercises to improve overall fitness and resilience.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and deep breathing exercises, can help you increase awareness of your body and emotions, allowing you to observe pain sensations without reacting to them. Mindfulness techniques can also reduce stress and anxiety, which can exacerbate feelings of pain.
pain coping skills
Learn and practice pain coping techniques such as distraction techniques, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, and positive self-talk. These strategies can help you shift your focus away from the pain and increase your sense of control over your experience.
healthy living habits
Maintain a healthy lifestyle by getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, staying hydrated, and managing stress effectively. Poor sleep, nutritional deficiencies, dehydration, and chronic stress can all reduce pain tolerance and increase sensitivity to pain.
social support
Seek support from friends, family, or a support group who can provide encouragement, empathy, and practical help when dealing with pain. Connecting with others who understand what you are going through can help ease feelings of isolation and pain.
Professional guidance
Consider seeking guidance from a health care professional, such as a physical therapist, pain management specialist, or psychologist, who can provide personalized advice and intervention based on your needs. They can also address any underlying medical conditions that are causing the pain.
Accept and adapt
Accepting pain as a natural part of life and learning to adapt to its presence can help you develop resilience and cope more effectively. Focus on the things you can control, such as your attitude, behavior, and reaction to pain, rather than focusing on eliminating it entirely.
It is important to note that increasing pain tolerance does not mean ignoring or ignoring pain signals when they indicate a serious injury or health condition. If you experience pain that is persistent or severe and affects your daily functions, it is important to listen to your body and seek appropriate medical care.
