Pain Management – How can Yoga help?
Recent research suggests that pain can be caused by more than physical damage to the body. Pain can be worsened by residual changes to your nervous system. Pain usually starts with a physical illness or injury, but the initial trauma can change the mind and its perception of pain.
The Protective Pain Response
- There is a physical threat to the body
- The threat is detected by the nervous system and sent to the brain
- The threat signal is transformed into pain sensations
- An emotional response is also triggered
The full pain response is made up of the physical sensations the thoughts and emotions.
All of this happens so you can take action and protect yourself from the threat. However, even after the threat is gone, the pain response may linger. The mind and body need to know how to protect you from this threat in the future, so the nervous system begins the process of learning from this experience.Any kind of injury or illness can change the way the nervous system processes pain. If pain repeats or persists, the nervous system becomes more sensitive to detecting threats and better at producing the protective pain response. The ability of the nervous system to learn and change depending on experience is known as Neuroplasticity.
These patterns can be unravelled with Yoga practices. By relaxing the body and calming the mind, the body’s stress response can be turned off. The nervous system will calm down and can learn new patterns. Consistent relaxation practice teaches the mind and body how to rest rather than constantly responding to a perceived threat. The relaxation response unravels the patterns that contribute to pain.
At Inspire Yoga, we specialise in injury and pain management.
Book an introductory private session for $99 (usually $120)
Book an introductory private session for $99 (usually $120)
