When Physical Pain is Tied to the Holidays: A Pain Management Perspective

Usman Saleem, MD | December 12, 2025 | ipainmed.com

Introduction

The holiday season, while joyful for many, can present a significant challenge for individuals managing chronic pain. The combination of increased social expectations, disrupted routines, travel stress, and emotional triggers often leads to a phenomenon known as the "Holiday Pain Flare."

At Innovative Pain Medicine, we recognize that pain is rarely just physical; it is deeply intertwined with emotional and neurological factors. This post provides five professional, science-backed strategies you can implement right now to help protect your hard-won stability and ensure you can engage in the season with greater comfort and control.

5 Tips for Dealing with Pain and Holiday Emotions

1. Recognize the Neurobiological Link

The emotional weight of the holidays triggers a release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones increase inflammation throughout the body, heighten nerve sensitivity, and cause muscle guarding and tension. This physiological cascade directly exacerbates chronic pain conditions.

PM Insight: Acknowledge that the pain increase is a real, chemical response to stress. Practice a brief mindfulness body scan to observe how psychological pressure translates into physical sensation—this non-judgmental awareness is a key tool in pain self-management.

2. Maintain Your Treatment Fidelity

In the rush of decorating, shopping, and traveling, the first thing many patients sacrifice is their non-negotiable pain management routine. Skipping prescribed medications, missing physical therapy sessions, or delaying injections can rapidly destabilize your baseline level of control.

PM Action: Consistency is key. Treat your pain management routine (medication timing, exercise schedule, rest) as essential appointments that cannot be moved. Use alarms or enlist a supportive family member to ensure you stick to your plan, even when out of town.

3. Implement Therapeutic Pacing

The common pattern during the holidays is the "boom-bust" cycle: pushing through pain one day to participate, followed by several days of debilitating recovery. Therapeutic pacing is a clinically proven strategy to break this cycle by conserving energy.

PM Strategy: Create a "Pain Budget" for your energy. Pre-determine which tasks and events are most meaningful. Say "no" to the rest. Schedule mandatory rest periods (e.g., a 20-minute lie-down break) for every two hours of activity, even if you feel "good" at the moment.

4. Engage in Focused Cognitive Distraction

When we focus intensely on pain, the pain signals are amplified by the brain's Pain Matrix. Cognitive distraction is a tool used to gently shift your brain's attention away from these pathways. It must be an activity that requires focus but is low-impact.

PM Tool: Choose activities that demand light attention, such as completing a jigsaw puzzle, knitting, listening to an engaging podcast, or watching a complex movie. The goal is to redirect mental energy to an external, non-pain source.

5. Utilize Diaphragmatic Breathing for Autonomic Regulation

Chronic stress and pain trap the body in a state of Sympathetic Drive (fight-or-flight). This constant tension increases heart rate and muscle rigidity. Slow, deep, diaphragmatic breathing activates the Vagus nerve, promoting Parasympathetic Drive (rest and digest).

PM Prescription: Practice five minutes of focused belly breathing three times daily. This technique directly regulates your autonomic nervous system, naturally reducing muscle tension and lowering your overall pain perception.

Conclusion

Don't let pain dictate your holiday experience. By implementing these five evidence-based pain management strategies, you can proactively minimize flare-ups and find more joy and comfort this season. If you are experiencing pain that you cannot manage on your own, please contact our office for a comprehensive consultation.

If you need help with pain management, contact us at 917-686-0987.

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