It’s safe to say that everyone understands just how much of an impact pain can have in our quality of life. While most painful conditions tend to heal over time, some overstay their welcome like the notorious back pain that comes with age. This particular condition, along with others like it, results in chronic pain that takes a bigger toll on one’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being unless it’s looked at by a back pain specialist in Singapore. The worst part is that living with chronic pain often leads to more long-term health issues like heart diseases.
Decades of research have confirmed a link between chronic pain and heart problems, with medical professionals learning that pain– specifically chronic pain–is closely tied to the body’s cardiovascular system. They have discovered that this type of pain is associated with elevated heart rate, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and many other kinds of heart problems. As such, it is vital to understand the connection between pain and heart health so you can effectively manage what ails you and ensure it doesn’t lead to serious heart disease.
The Relationship Between Chronic Pain And Heart Health
Whenever we feel pain, it triggers the amygdala, which is a part of the brain that plays an essential role in not just emotional-affective behaviours but also pain modulation. The amygdala, in turn, has an activating influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis or stress response system which releases cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline among other hormones.
This response chain, specifically the unrelenting release of hormones caused by the pain response, is why chronic pain has been associated with heart issues and cardiovascular system damage. In fact, amygdala activity caused by chronic stress–one of the many symptoms of chronic pain–has been linked to arterial inflammation.
In short, chronic pain has a direct relationship with the body’s fight-or-flight response or sympathetic nervous system, and its stimuli causes the latter to become overactivated. As a result, heart rate and blood pressure constantly stay elevated, leading to cardiovascular disease over time. This underlines the importance of effective chronic pain management to ensure your heart stays healthy.
Health Problems Associated With Chronic Pain
1. Heart Rate
As discussed above, pain responses have a strong influence on heart rate. One such aspect that they affect is heart rate variability (HRV), which is essentially slight fluctuations in the amount of time between heartbeats. Only specialised devices can pick up these near-undetectable fluctuations and their presence are an indication of current or future health problems.
Moreover, pain is also linked to tachycardia, a type of arrhythmia that originates within the atria and is defined as a heart rate that exceeds 100 bpm. It is commonly found among those with heart disease and ischemic coronary heart disease.
2. Blood Pressure
Similar to heart rate, blood pressure also spikes when there is a pain response. When feeling acute pain, this blood pressure increase is only temporary and poses no issue. However, that no longer becomes the case when experiencing chronic pain, resulting in the impairment of the regulation capabilities of the cardiovascular and analgesia system and, ultimately, long-term high blood pressure.
3. Heart Attack
In some cases, chronic pain and the stress it brings may cause a heart attack due to the constant release of adrenaline in the body and its elevating effects on heart rate and blood pressure. Alternatively, it may also occur because of chronic-pain-related tachycardia. The former finding is backed by a Harvard study which followed over 17,000 participants who were using pain relief medications for at least three months. The research’s comparison group involved over double that participant count and included people free of chronic pain. The final results showed that those part of the first group had a 20% and 30% greater risk of suffering a heart attack and stroke, respectively, compared to the second group.
Conclusion
Chronic pain is not just a physical burden—it can significantly impact cardiovascular health by increasing the risk of heart disease. The ongoing stress, inflammation, and sedentary lifestyle often associated with chronic pain can disrupt heart function, elevate blood pressure, and contribute to conditions like hypertension and atherosclerosis. Understanding the connection between chronic pain and heart disease emphasises the importance of early intervention, holistic pain management, and lifestyle changes to reduce these risks. By addressing both physical and emotional health, individuals can improve their overall well-being and minimise the likelihood of developing heart complications.
With this information in mind, consider reaching out to our pain specialists at Affinity Pain Clinic if you’ve been dealing with chronic pain for a while now. From assessment to intervention, we guarantee personalised consultations and evidence-based pain relief solutions that will make you feel better in record time and preserve your heart health.
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