"Take a moment to appreciate who you used to be, and who you have become."
In this article, Musculoskeletal and the Impact of Stress on Pain.
By Dorthe Krogsgaard & Peter Lund Frandsen, Touchpoint Denmark
Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most common reasons people seek manual therapy. Shoulders, neck, and lower back dominate the statistics. What is far less recognized, both among clients and many therapists, is the central role of stress in creating, amplifying, and maintaining these pains. Stress is not just a psychological state. It is a whole-body reaction that changes muscle tone, circulation, inflammation, nerve sensitivity, and even the way the brain constructs the experience of pain. When stress becomes chronic, it can turn ordinary tissue strain into long-lasting pain conditions.
How Stress Makes Muscles Hurt
1. Constant Muscle Tension
Stress automatically increases muscle tone. The body prepares for action, even when no action is needed. Over time, this unconscious contraction
reduces flexibility and creates stiffness and trigger-point-type soreness.
2. Reduced Blood Flow and Slower Healing
During stress, the body prioritises survival systems and directs blood toward large muscles and the brain. Local circulation in smaller muscles and connective tissues is reduced. The tissues become under-nourished and acidic waste products accumulate. Microinflammations from daily strain that would normally heal quickly can become chronic.
3. Sensitised Nerves
Stress hormones change the chemical environment around free nerve endings. These sensitised nerves send stronger danger signals to the brain. Even light pressure may feel painful. Stress increases pain sensitivity not because the tissues are more damaged, but because the nervous system has become more alarmed.
4. The Pain–Stress Loop
Pain itself acts as a stressor. A stiff neck or inflamed shoulder can trigger frustration, worry about work, or fear of chronic illness. These emotions amplify the stress response, which in turn increases pain. Breaking this vicious circle is often more important than “fixing the tissue.
