VIEWPOINT | Pain during recovery is a matter of ups and downs

Guest column by Kory Zimney, director of the USD health science PhD program

Many equate pain with injury and thus assume that pain should be a straight line when recovering. So if pain flares up a bit, they worry that something is wrong. Maybe the injury is getting worse, or they “overdid it” the day before. In reality, pain often rises and falls during normal recovery, and these ups and downs do not automatically mean you’re injuring yourself. Pain is more complex than a simple measure of tissue damage.

Healing tissues and a sensitive alarm system

Pain is best thought of as your body’s alarm system. Early after an injury or surgery, that alarm is turned up on purpose to protect healing tissues. Even as the tissues recover normally, the alarm may remain slightly sensitive for a while. This means everyday movements, increased activity or changes in routine can trigger pain, even when the tissues themselves are safe.

This sensitivity usually settles with time, movement and confidence. A short-term increase in pain does not automatically mean damage has occurred. It often reflects a nervous system that’s still learning what is safe again.