By According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 1 in 5 adults gets the recommended amount of physical activity each week (1). While people may have a list of excuses as to why they don’t engage in the activity, the reasons for skipping out on it, or choosing to participate, may be different for those who suffer from chronic pain.
In the August 2015 issue of the British Journal of Pain, researchers set out to learn more about how those with chronic pain make decisions about engaging in activity (2). The popular notion is that those with chronic pain tend to avoid activity because they fear pain may result from their participation. What they found is that it is a more complex decision-making process for those with chronic pain. Rather than simply avoiding activity due to the fear of pain, people tend to weigh the cost-benefit of doing so.
What the research suggests is that those who have chronic pain are weighing the issue, rather than just avoiding due to the fear of pain. While a few of the participants avoided some activities due to avoidance of pain that they feared, others engaged in the activity when there was a benefit that they felt was worth risking the pain. In other words, if engaging in the activity coincided with their personal values, or they believed it was helping a child’s needs, then they made the decision to engage in the activity, rather than be dissuaded by the fear of pain.
What this means for people working with those who have chronic pain is that they may want to help them think about the cost-benefit of engaging in activity. For those who have chronic pain, they may be able to make the decision more often to engage in the activity if they begin to look at the benefits that can result, so they can determine if it is worth it. This is especially important because activities may be being avoided based on a fear of pain, when there may in fact not end up being more pain at all if the person makes the decision to engage in the activities.
If you have chronic pain and you want to begin engaging in more activity, look beyond the fear of any pain that may result. Consider the benefits that you will get out of doing the activity. By doing this, you will help yourself see the cost-benefit, whether it’s engaging in activity for physical health, playing with children in the yard, or trying a new exercise class. When you focus on the benefits these activities provide, there is a good chance you will no longer avoid as many of them out of fear of pain.
Sources:
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts About Physical Activity. <http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/data/facts.htm>
- British Journal of Pain. 2015 Aug;9(3):157-66. doi: 10.1177/2049463714554112.
