Common physiological aspects and interconnections between stress and pain

Abstract

Introduction: Stress and pain are phenomena with similar conceptual explanations and they both play an essential role in our survival as individuals. They are a challenge to the organism's adaptive capacities and homeostasis processes. The physiological aspects of the two phenomena reveal common neurobiological origins and multiple interconnections.Aim: The purpose of the article is to conceptualize and structure evidence relating to the common physiological aspects of pain and stress phenomena and to analyze their interconnections.Materials and Methods: A review and critical analysis of relevant literature.Results: The relationship between stress and pain has been studied. Stress participates in the manifestation of acute pain and maintains the processes of its chronicity. It has been hypothesized that the different stress models in the pathogenesis of pain are due to the influence of factors associated with the psychological aspects of stress.Conclusion: Most authors support the idea that physiological responses to stress and pain are relatively nonspecific. They are influenced by many factors related to current physical condition, past experiences of stressful situations and pain, emotional (fear, anxiety, depression) and cognitive factors involved in generating complex programs, aimed at restoring homeostasis. The stress model of pain is a manifestation of the interconnections and the potential interactions between the two phenomena. Data analysis provokes questions and offers prospects for more comprehensive studies related to exploration of the causal relationship between the two phenomena