How Your Blood Pressure Affects Pain

High blood pressure is often called “the silent killer” because it can lead to life-threatening health issues without any symptoms. High blood pressure, or hypertension, doesn’t hurt until it’s in very severe late stages. 

However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a relationship between blood pressure and pain levels. While high blood pressure doesn’t hurt, it can cause other uncomfortable problems, like chest pain. The relationship also works in the other direction: pain can cause high blood pressure. 

Here at Manhattan Integrative Cardiovascular in Midtown East Manhattan, New York City, David Bolon, MD, and our team help you avoid high blood pressure and its complications, along with problems like chest pain. We also want to empower you to be proactive about protecting your health. 

With that in mind, let’s examine the relationship between pain and blood pressure. 

How pain causes high blood pressure

Studies found that high blood pressure and chronic pain often coexist. Researchers dug deeper and found that persistent pain can interfere with your body’s baroreflex, its mechanism for keeping your blood pressure consistent. Pain messing with that mechanism can cause your blood pressure to rise.

Other chronic pain factors can also play a role. Pain is stressful on the body, meaning it can encourage your system to release more stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These can cause a blood pressure increase. 

Chronic pain also interferes with sleep, and insufficient sleep links directly to higher blood pressure. 

To make matters worse, medication you might take to manage your pain — including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen — might heighten your blood pressure. 

In short, there are plenty of ways that chronic pain can contribute to high blood pressure. 

How high blood pressure can cause pain

While high blood pressure isn’t painful in most stages, it can become uncomfortable if left unchecked. Over time, hypertension can damage the arteries that send blood to your heart. As this interferes with blood flow, you might experience chest pain (angina). 

What’s more, high blood pressure’s painless state assumes that the problem doesn’t become severe. If your blood pressure becomes serious enough to put you in a hypertensive crisis, you might experience sudden:

• Low back pain
• Headache
• Chest pain
• Abdominal pain

If these symptoms come on suddenly, seek emergency care. 

Addressing high blood pressure to protect your health

High blood pressure is a serious health risk whether it’s causing pain or not. This condition can lead to:

• Aneurysm
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Stroke

If you live with chronic pain — and the heightened risk for high blood pressure that it represents — it’s worth getting checked for this condition. Dr. Bolon can evaluate your blood pressure levels at our office with a painless test. 

If you have high blood pressure, Dr. Bolon and our team work with you to manage it. In many cases, lifestyle changes are sufficient. However, Dr. Bolon can also prescribe medication to lower your blood pressure.  

Call our office at (716) 303-4738 to get screened for hypertension, or book your appointment online today.