11/21/2025
Pain, Chronic Pain & Discomfort: Understanding the Difference
—and How to Work With Each Through the Neurology & the Body
By: Nickole R. Visan- AAS,BS, MSOL, LMT
At Visan Massage & Vedic Bodywork, one of the most important things we teach clients is that not all sensations are created equal. The nervous system communicates through a wide range of signals, from mild tension to deep, persistent pain. When you understand what your body is actually saying, you can respond more effectively, prevent injury, and restore balance with far less fear or resistance.
Below is a clear breakdown of the three most common sensory categories we encounter in bodywork: discomfort, pain, and chronic pain—and how each one should be approached from a neurological and physical perspective.
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1. Discomfort — The Body’s Whisper for Change
What It Is
Discomfort is the body’s early alert system. It often shows up as:
• Tightness
• Restriction
• Mild tenderness
• Fatigue in a muscle or joint
• Slight burning or tension during movement
Discomfort is not a danger signal. It’s usually your body whispering:
“Something here needs attention, mobility, or support.”
Neurological Perspective
Discomfort activates low-grade sensory nerves (mechanoreceptors and mild nociceptors) that communicate pressure, stretch, and load information to the brain. These signals don’t activate the threat response; they activate awareness.
The brain interprets discomfort as a cue to:
• Mobilize the area
• Modify posture
• Hydrate tissues
• Change movement patterns
Bodywork Perspective
Discomfort responds beautifully to:
• Therapeutic massage
• Myofascial release
• Vedic bodywork sequences
• Heat therapies
• Light stretching
• Breathwork
Often within one to three sessions, discomfort resolves because tissues hydrate, lengthen, and reorganize.
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2. Acute Pain — The Body’s Stop Signal
What It Is
Acute pain is the body issuing a clear command:
“Pause. Investigate. Protect.”
Acute pain may present as:
• Sharp
• Radiating
• Sudden
• Stabbing
• Hot/inflamed
Neurological Perspective
Acute pain activates the threat-detection system. Nociceptors send urgent signals to the spinal cord and brain to prevent further injury.
This is where the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight) can become involved:
• Muscles tighten defensively
• Breath shortens
• Guarding or limping begins
• The body limits range of motion
Bodywork Perspective
This type of pain requires a different approach:
• Gentle, non-invasive techniques
• Lymphatic and circulatory work
• Reducing inflammation
• Restoring safe movement without pressure
• Avoiding direct deep work on acute injury sites
The goal is to calm the nervous system, reduce inflammation, and restore stability.
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3. Chronic Pain — When the Nervous System Starts Repeating an Old Story
What It Is
Chronic pain is pain lasting longer than 12 weeks, even after tissues have healed. It often feels:
• Deep
• Throbbing
• Persistent
• Cyclical
• Disconnected from any specific movement
This is no longer just about tissue damage.
It’s about the brain’s patterning.
Neurological Perspective
Chronic pain involves:
• Neuroplastic changes
• Sensory amplification
• Overactive pain pathways
• A heightened threat response
• Muscle bracing and compensation habits
The brain essentially remembers pain, even when the physical injury has resolved.
This is why chronic pain often requires a combination of:
• Nervous system rewiring
• Soft tissue rehabilitation
• Postural repatterning
• Emotional regulation
Bodywork Perspective
Managing chronic pain requires:
• Slow, sustained myofascial unwinding
• Nervous-system informed bodywork
• Pattern interruption
• Ayurvedic balancing to reduce Vata aggravation
• Breathwork for vagal tone
• Somatic practices to retrain safety signals
This type of work is layered, but incredibly effective over time.
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How to Work With Each Sensation
When You Feel Discomfort
• Hydrate
• Stretch gently
• Schedule a maintenance session
• Move the area rather than guarding it
When You Feel Acute Pain
• Pause the activity
• Apply ice/heat depending on inflammation
• Use gentle movement only
• Book a therapeutic assessment
• Avoid deep pressure until cleared
When You Feel Chronic Pain
• Commit to a treatment plan
• Include breathwork and vagal nerve regulation
• Add Vedic modalities that calm the mind (shiro abhyanga, scalp ritual, herbal oils)
• Combine massage with functional movement and stability
• Track patterns rather than chasing symptoms
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The Takeaway
Your body is always communicating.
Discomfort is a whisper, acute pain is a warning, and chronic pain is a learned message the nervous system keeps repeating.
At Visan Massage & Vedic Bodywork, our work is to:
• Decode what your body is telling you
• Support your nervous system
• Restore your movement
• Reduce pain patterns
• And help your body return to harmony
When you understand the language of sensation, you reclaim your power, your mobility, and your healing.
Visan Massage & Vedic Bodywork
19878 Hebron Road, Suite A
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 19971
Phone: 302-296-8174
Your personal sanctuary for massage and bodywork infused with Ayurvedic influences.
