Is Your Chronic Pain Hurting Your Heart? What You Need to Know

Around 19% of the population in the US and Europe experiences some form of chronic pain — that’s almost 66 million people. Living with chronic pain takes a considerable toll on daily life, affecting sleep, mood, work, and relationships. What many people don’t realize is that ongoing pain may also affect heart health.

Understanding the connection between chronic pain and the cardiovascular system can help protect your long-term health. At Advanced Pain Management, we help patients appreciate how pain impacts the whole body, not just the area that hurts.

How chronic pain affects the body

Pain that lasts longer than three months is known as chronic pain; it continues even after an injury has healed or a clear cause for it can’t be found. Around 50% of the people who live with chronic pain have been affected for more than two years; many have lifelong pain.

Unlike short-term pain, which serves as a warning signal, chronic pain keeps the body in a constant state of stress. Consequently, the nervous system stays on high alert, keeping hormones like cortisol and adrenaline elevated.

Prolonged stress from chronic pain can disrupt sleep, weaken the immune system, increase inflammation, affect mood and energy, and strain the heart and blood vessels, raising the risk of serious long-term health complications.

Common pain conditions linked to heart strain

Several chronic pain conditions may indirectly increase cardiovascular risk, including:

• Chronic back or neck pain
• Arthritis and joint pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Nerve pain (neuropathy)
• Migraines

The risk doesn’t come from pain alone, but from the long-term effects pain has on stress, sleep, movement, and mental health.

Chronic pain can quietly change daily habits in ways that harm the heart. People in pain may move less, rely on comfort foods, gain weight, or withdraw socially. Some may smoke or drink more to cope.

These changes add up over time, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.

The link between chronic pain and heart health

Long-term pain and heart health connect in several important ways:

Increased stress levels

Pain and stress feed off each other, so pain increases stress, and stress makes pain feel worse. This cycle can lead to muscle tension, higher blood pressure, and increased heart workload.

Inflammation

Chronic pain often involves inflammation, a factor that also contributes to heart disease risk.

Reduced activity

Pain typically limits movement, making exercise difficult. Less activity increases the risk of heart problems.

Poor sleep

Pain disrupts sleep, which may raise the risk of high blood pressure and heart problems.

Mental health issues

Chronic pain often leads to anxiety or depression. This emotional distress can alter heart rhythms, increase inflammation, and make the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle too challenging.

How pain management can help

Effective pain management goes beyond comfort — it’s key for heart health. Managing pain helps control stress, restore movement, and support your cardiovascular system.

When pain becomes manageable, people often return to healthier routines. Better pain control makes it easier to exercise, eat well, manage weight, and stay socially connected. All of these habits protect heart health.

A comprehensive pain management plan focuses on the whole person. The goal is not just to reduce pain, but also to improve function and overall quality of life. Some of the ways we help you attain this include:

Physical therapy

Treatments like physical therapy, massage therapy, and guided movement are vital to managing chronic pain. Gentle stretching activities like yoga and tai chi are also helpful.

Medications

Medications can help with some types of pain; for example, anti-inflammatories can reduce inflammation, or you might need disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for rheumatoid arthritis. However, opioids, in addition to their addictive properties, are typically less effective for chronic pain.

Stress reduction

Learning strategies to manage stress keeps chronic pain better controlled.

Targeted interventional procedures

We offer several cutting-edge treatments for severe pain problems, including:

• Epidural steroid injections
• Nerve blocks
• Trigger point injections
• Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty
• Joint injections
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Vertiflex™ lumbar decompression
• Spinal cord stimulation

Surgeries such as minimally invasive spinal fusion are also available for suitable candidates.

If chronic pain limits activity, affects sleep, or increases stress, it’s time to seek help. You should also speak to your primary care provider if you notice symptoms like chest tightness, shortness of breath, or dizziness.

Caring for pain means caring for your heart. With the right support, it’s possible to reduce pain, lower stress, and support a healthier cardiovascular system. Schedule a consultation by phone or online at one of Advanced Pain Management’s offices in Tucson, Phoenix, or the surrounding areas of Arizona.