The benefits of acute stress for people in pain
by Neil Pearson, Life Is Now
The stigma of chronic pain can lead us to persevere and try to push through the pain, only stopping when we cannot carry on. Then the pain flares up and we pay the price!
If you have read my blogs or listened to the pain education I provide, you will have heard me suggest that this technique may be good for ‘getting the job done’, and it may be helpful in acute pain, but it is actually counter-productive to regaining greater ease of movement in the face of persistent pain. The theory we have for this includes two key ideas. First, if your protection systems are producing pain in order to get you to stop, but you do not even yield, the system will start to function as if the alarms are not loud enough. Second, your nervous system will learn to get better at whatever it practices. The more it practices creating intense pain, the better it gets at producing intense pain.
This idea may have merit, but for many people it is in direct conflict with the idea that our body will grow stronger if we continue to stress it. Actually, this is much more than an idea. It is normal reality. If you want to make a muscle stronger, use it more. If you want to grow more tolerant of an irritating or bothersome sensation or experience, step up to it. Face it. In time, it will bother you less. Try playing a string instrument for the first time, and feel the intense pain from pushing down strings with your fingertips. Keep doing it and your body will adapt, even creating a callous as a protective response, just like woodworkers and carpenters have on their hands and dancers have on their feet. In other words, when you stress your body, typically it responds by being better able to tolerate that stress next time.
So why does this positive adaptation not occur in many people with persistent pain conditions? New research provides some clues. It also provides support for what we can do to create positive adaptations in our sensitized nervous systems.
Scientists know that there is one part of the brain that is highly important for learning – the hippocampus. They also know that the persistent high levels of stress hormones from chronic stress inhibits activity in the hippocampus. Recently, studies have shown that this area of the brain is one of the few to be able to produce new brain cells. These same chronic stress hormones inhibit new cell formation, and this likely has a detrimental effect on learning new things. So chronic stress is bad, but what about acute stress?
At the University of California, Kirby and colleagues* studied the effects of acute stress on the formation of new cells in the hippocampus, and on learning. They used rats, knowing that there are enough similarities in brain functions to make some generalizations from the studies to humans. The rats were stressed over a short period with inactivity. (Yup, this is a stressor.) This temporary stress doubled their stress hormones, and the researchers measured up to twice as many new brain cells in the hippocampus. New brain cells should lead to improved brain function, and that’s exactly what they found. They were able to put markers on these new cells and show that once the cells matured two weeks later, these same cells were used by the rats in a learning task to out-perform other rats that had not undergone the acute stress.
What does this all mean?
Continue reading on YogaHub Blog
Posted on: 05/20/2013, by : Able I Am
The stigma of chronic pain can lead us to persevere and try to push through the pain, only stopping when we cannot carry on. Then the pain flares up and we pay the price!
If you have read my blogs or listened to the pain education I provide, you will have heard me suggest that this technique may be good for ‘getting the job done’, and it may be helpful in acute pain, but it is actually counter-productive to regaining greater ease of movement in the face of persistent pain. The theory we have for this includes two key ideas. First, if your protection systems are producing pain in order to get you to stop, but you do not even yield, the system will start to function as if the alarms are not loud enough. Second, your nervous system will learn to get better at whatever it practices. The more it practices creating intense pain, the better it gets at producing intense pain.
This idea may have merit, but for many people it is in direct conflict with the idea that our body will grow stronger if we continue to stress it. Actually, this is much more than an idea. It is normal reality. If you want to make a muscle stronger, use it more. If you want to grow more tolerant of an irritating or bothersome sensation or experience, step up to it. Face it. In time, it will bother you less. Try playing a string instrument for the first time, and feel the intense pain from pushing down strings with your fingertips. Keep doing it and your body will adapt, even creating a callous as a protective response, just like woodworkers and carpenters have on their hands and dancers have on their feet. In other words, when you stress your body, typically it responds by being better able to tolerate that stress next time.
So why does this positive adaptation not occur in many people with persistent pain conditions? New research provides some clues. It also provides support for what we can do to create positive adaptations in our sensitized nervous systems.
Scientists know that there is one part of the brain that is highly important for learning – the hippocampus. They also know that the persistent high levels of stress hormones from chronic stress inhibits activity in the hippocampus. Recently, studies have shown that this area of the brain is one of the few to be able to produce new brain cells. These same chronic stress hormones inhibit new cell formation, and this likely has a detrimental effect on learning new things. So chronic stress is bad, but what about acute stress?
At the University of California, Kirby and colleagues* studied the effects of acute stress on the formation of new cells in the hippocampus, and on learning. They used rats, knowing that there are enough similarities in brain functions to make some generalizations from the studies to humans. The rats were stressed over a short period with inactivity. (Yup, this is a stressor.) This temporary stress doubled their stress hormones, and the researchers measured up to twice as many new brain cells in the hippocampus. New brain cells should lead to improved brain function, and that’s exactly what they found. They were able to put markers on these new cells and show that once the cells matured two weeks later, these same cells were used by the rats in a learning task to out-perform other rats that had not undergone the acute stress.
What does this all mean?
Continue reading on YogaHub Blog
Throughout this grand design of things you receive an A with regard to effort and hard work. Where exactly you lost me personally was first in all the details. You know, as the maxim goes, details make or break the argument.. And that couldn’t be more accurate here. Having said that, allow me tell you what did deliver the results. Your text can be incredibly convincing which is most likely the reason why I am making the effort to comment. I do not make it a regular habit of doing that. Secondly, even though I can certainly notice a jumps in reason you come up with, I am definitely not convinced of how you appear to connect your points that make your conclusion. For right now I shall subscribe to your point however hope in the future you link your dots better.
I enjoy your writing style truly enjoying this web site.
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks
My wife and i got very joyous when John managed to carry out his studies via the ideas he had through the web pages. It is now and again perplexing just to continually be giving for free instructions that people have been making money from. And we all grasp we have the blog owner to be grateful to for that. The explanations you have made, the simple blog menu, the friendships you can make it easier to create – it is many powerful, and it is making our son and the family do think that article is satisfying, and that’s truly important. Thank you for all the pieces!
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to assert that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Anyway I’ll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently rapidly.
hello!,I like your writing so much! share we communicate more about your article on AOL? I need an expert on this area to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
pXKeSnZBILif
This blog is definitely rather handy since I’m at the moment creating an internet floral website – although I am only starting out therefore it’s really fairly small, nothing like this site. Can link to a few of the posts here as they are quite. Thanks much. Zoey Olsen
Magnificent beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your web site, how could i subscribe for a blog site? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear concept
Magnificent site. Lots of useful info here. I’m sending it to some pals ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks on your effort!
Thanks for another magnificent post. The place else may just anyone get that kind of info in such a perfect means of writing? I have a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the search for such information.
You have brought up a very excellent details , thankyou for the post.
You have observed very interesting details! ps nice internet site.
I am impressed with this web site, very I am a big fan .
I saw a lot of website but I think this one contains something extra in it in it
I’m often to running a blog and i really admire your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your website and keep checking for new information.
I saw a lot of website but I believe this one has got something special in it in it
It’s appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I want to suggest you few interesting things or suggestions. Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read even more things about it!
Excellent website you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any forums that cover the same topics discussed in this article? I’d really like to be a part of online community where I can get feedback from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Cheers!
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say superb blog!
You have brought up a very fantastic details, thanks for the post.
Hey there, You’ve performed a fantastic job. I’ll certainly digg it and in my view recommend to my friends. I’m confident they will be benefited from this website.
What i do not understood is if truth be told how you are now not really a lot more neatly-favored than you might be right now. You’re so intelligent. You know thus significantly in terms of this subject, produced me for my part believe it from a lot of varied angles. Its like women and men are not interested except it is something to do with Woman gaga! Your individual stuffs excellent. Always take care of it up!
Good info. Lucky me I reach on your website by accident, I bookmarked it.
I believe you have mentioned some very interesting details, regards for the post.
whoah this blog is great i really like studying your posts. Stay up the great paintings! You already know, a lot of people are looking around for this info, you could help them greatly.
Sweet blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Cheers
Very interesting points you have observed, thankyou for posting. “Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit.” by Baltasar Gracian.
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I have really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!
There are some fascinating points in time on this article but I don’t know if I see all of them heart to heart. There is some validity however I’ll take maintain opinion till I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we would like more! Added to FeedBurner as nicely
Hey, you used to write excellent, but the last several posts have been kinda boring?K I miss your super writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!
My programmer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on various websites for about a year and am anxious about switching to another platform. I have heard great things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..extra wait .. …
This web site is my breathing in, rattling fantastic design and style and perfect written content.
What is Boostaro? Boostaro revolutionizes romantic performance enhancement through its reliance on the wisdom of natural ingredients
Some really excellent posts on this web site, regards for contribution. “For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude.” by Clarence E. Hodges.
Whats up very nice site!! Guy .. Excellent .. Superb .. I’ll bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally…I’m happy to seek out so many helpful info here in the submit, we need develop more strategies in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
MHWYeOufljtPz
You have mentioned very interesting points! ps decent website .
I believe this web site has got some very excellent information for everyone : D.
I’m not sure where you are getting your information, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more. Thanks for wonderful information I was looking for this info for my mission.
Usually I don’t read article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do so! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thanks, very nice article.
Howdy would you mind letting me know which web host you’re utilizing? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different web browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you recommend a good web hosting provider at a honest price? Many thanks, I appreciate it!
Hey very cool site!! Man .. Excellent .. Wonderful .. I’ll bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionallyKI am glad to find a lot of useful information here within the publish, we need work out more techniques on this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
I have recently started a website, the information you offer on this website has helped me greatly. Thank you for all of your time & work.
of course like your web-site however you need to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding it very troublesome to inform the truth then again I will surely come back again.
What Is FitSpresso?The 100 natural formula is formulated using a potent blend of 6 ingredients.
Java Burn: What is it? Java Burn is marketed as a natural weight loss product that can increase the speed and efficiency of a person’s natural metabolism, thereby supporting their weight loss efforts
You have noted very interesting points! ps nice website . “Enemies, as well as lovers, come to resemble each other over a period of time.” by Sydney Harris.
Simply wish to say your article is as amazing. The clearness in your post is just cool and i could assume you’re an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the gratifying work.