Tension-based Pain

Most people know what tension is; we feel our muscles tighten, or perhaps we've had a tension headache from time to time.

If we look at the word TENSE in the dictionary, we see the following entries:

1.
 (especially of a muscle or someone's body) stretched tight or rigid. "she tried to relax her tense muscles"


2. taut, tight, rigid, stretched, strained, stiff"the tense muscles of his neck"

As a verb we see the word TENSE as:

1. become tense, typically through anxiety or nervousness. "her body tensed up".

So, even the dictionary describes tension as a response that comes from anxiety or nervousness. The pain that is caused by tension is actually created from inside us, and comes from our own minds. It doesn't mean we're crazy, it simply means that we have too much stress - emotional energy, and that energy has to go somewhere. The mind sends out signaling molecules (hormones), and electrical messages that disperse tension to muscles in different areas of the body. Perhaps for you, it is your back, or neck, or maybe you have sciatica.

It may not be a great outcome for us, but it is the system we have, and we can learn to manage it. We can be forever a slave to our emotions, or we can learn to understand them, and work in concert with them.

According to the US National Institutes of Health the continuous strain from stress on the body can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, anxiety disorder, and other illnesses. 

Most of us want to avoid serious conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

As a person who suffered from various types of chronic pain for two decades, I can say that the effects of poorly managed tension and stress can be devastating to one's health and well-being. 

After I discovered that I could manage my negative emotions and 
physical muscular tension, I was able to completely dispel my pain, I was in control, and at peace.

I am hopeful that everyone suffering from tension-based pain, can find the tools to help them return to a healthy mind and body.

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