Pain was once thought that pain started with pain receptors located in the muscles of the body. When the pain receptor was irritated, a signal would be sent to the brain to tell us to withdraw or that there was damage that needs care.
This idea is no longer accepted as a definition of pain.
The definition of pain, according to the International Association for the Study of Pain, is: “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.”
So, what do we currently know about pain science?
This is some of what has been learned in the last several decades. But what does all this mean for massage therapists? Why should we care?
Massage training programs in the U.S. really don’t teach up-to-date concepts of pain science. It is normal for general education to be a little behind in current science. Here at Sohmar we do teach about Pain Science also this is why it is important for us to continue our education even after we graduate.
As massage therapists, we see a lot of people in pain. More and more people are turning to massage as a safe treatment option. With massage, our clients are able to manage and find relief from chronic pain.
There is no reason to change what we are currently doing with our clients. Pain science isn’t a technique or a modality; it’s more about a shift in the reasoning behind our what we do.. As massage therapists, we tend to view pain science as something that is beyond our scope. We also seem to think it means that we have to toss everything we have learned. But nothing could be further from the truth.
For example, pain science shows that when someone is in pain and they experience additional stress, such as the loss of a pet, their pain worsens. If our client says they are in pain they are remeber it nit always an issue with the tissue also stress can increase the brain’s perception of pain.
It’s this loop that goes ‘round and ‘round.
Massage can reduce stress, and thereby help the client feel less pain. With less pain, the client may be more willing to try a new exercise program; or may find the ability to do more activities around the house.
In my work as a Lmt and a Educator, I’ve found the best reason to stay informed about pain science is for my clients and my Family. Alot of times, our clients will ask us why they experience pain. All their X-ray, MRI and other tests are negative. They are usually a bit fearful and undergoing additional stress because they experience pain, and so believe something must be wrong with them.
Or they want to know how they can hurt less; how can they sit for long drives in the car or vacuum the house without pain.
If we stay informed, we can provide some answers to those questions. Remember our job is not always about the soft tissue massage but most important is educating our clients. Ask any of our Alumni. or current students.
To be honest there is still a great deal about pain we don’t know, but we can definitely work with what we do know. We might learn how pain creates more stress—and pain—for the nervous system and rethink some of the techniques we use.
Movement has been shown to help reduce pain, so we can recommend ways our client can move more optimally, this is within our scope of practice.
There is a huge movement right now, on a national level, to change pain treatment in the U.S. We are already seeing this shift, as mainstream medicine recognizes that opioids are not useful for the treatment of chronic pain.
The National Pain Strategy was recently created by six federal agencies and medical, scientific and patient communities led by The Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee within the National Institutes of Health.
This strategy outlines how the U.S. medical system needs to change how it treats pain. The National Pain Strategy is one of the first major efforts based on current pain science. We can participate in this movement, but only if we stay up-to-date on modern concepts of pain science.
