When distracted by pain, the last thing considered is how well the mind is feeling, but that may be more important than what scientists originally thought. Mental state has been found to affect humans, as a species, significantly more than what the average person may realize. It can affect how a person feels physically as well as emotionally. In recent studies it has been found that the psychological state affects pain specifically. It can even affect how a person will recovery from major and minor surgery. Physical therapy has helped relieve pain for years, but let’s not forget the affects the patient’s psychological state has on their pain recovery. Before being able to determine how the mental state affects pain, there needs to be a set
…show more content…
Optimism is associated with a faster recovery rate while staying in a hospital for a period time. This time can be as short as a 6 month recovery (“Dispositional”). Surgery can be considered as physical trauma to the body, in regards to the recovery process. Healing wounds is also another process of recovering from trauma. It can be looked at in a very similar way as recovering from surgery. It is said that a person under the extreme stress of caring for an ill loved one take an average of 9 days or 24% longer to heal a small wound completely (Geiger). Pain occurs at a greater rate when the patient is under an extreme amount of stress. This is especially true when it comes to surgery. The production of stress hormones can greatly affect immune function and also it can affect down to the amount of anesthetics a body can take healthily (Janice). As simple as it may seem, optimism is the biggest factor in any type of recovery. The return to normal everyday activity, even up to rigorous workouts come much quicker to patients with a positive outlook on the process, as opposed to those who don’t (“Cognitive). The severity of the condition is also affected by the outlook the patient holds. Optimists have a better chance of a speedy recovery from the start to the finish. A greater mindset, tested in recent psychoneuroimmunology work, it has been demonstrated that those with fear prior to surgery have a direct correlation to having a longer recovery period (Greiger). This longer period of discomfort and pain can throw a patient into an unhealthy mindset, once again starting the vicious circle one can become trapped
Optimism is associated with a faster recovery rate while staying in a hospital for a period time. This time can be as short as a 6 month recovery (“Dispositional”). Surgery can be considered as physical trauma to the body, in regards to the recovery process. Healing wounds is also another process of recovering from trauma. It can be looked at in a very similar way as recovering from surgery. It is said that a person under the extreme stress of caring for an ill loved one take an average of 9 days or 24% longer to heal a small wound completely (Geiger). Pain occurs at a greater rate when the patient is under an extreme amount of stress. This is especially true when it comes to surgery. The production of stress hormones can greatly affect immune function and also it can affect down to the amount of anesthetics a body can take healthily (Janice). As simple as it may seem, optimism is the biggest factor in any type of recovery. The return to normal everyday activity, even up to rigorous workouts come much quicker to patients with a positive outlook on the process, as opposed to those who don’t (“Cognitive). The severity of the condition is also affected by the outlook the patient holds. Optimists have a better chance of a speedy recovery from the start to the finish. A greater mindset, tested in recent psychoneuroimmunology work, it has been demonstrated that those with fear prior to surgery have a direct correlation to having a longer recovery period (Greiger). This longer period of discomfort and pain can throw a patient into an unhealthy mindset, once again starting the vicious circle one can become trapped