“Some small worm is chewing my stomach”: Chronic pain in movement and narratives, a cross-sectional study

Background

Chronic pain is multidimensional with physiological, psychological-emotional, and body-movement components. Studies of the bodily manifestation of pain are scarce. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between the narrative of chronic pain and its non-verbal bodily expressions and the relationship between emotional regulation and pain.

Method

To obtain this aim, we conducted a cross-sectional correlational study in which 30 individuals suffering from chronic pain were recruited and asked to tell a story about their pain as well as a neutral narrative. Movement during both narratives was analyzed.

Results

The pain narratives were statistically significantly longer in duration and were characterized by higher numbers of movements. Pain intensity was found to be related to the number of movements and more use of suppression. Movement analysis showed three clusters of movements: illustrative, comforting, and turning upwards.

Discussion

These findings contribute to the understanding of how movement, emotion and verbal expression are interwoven and emphasize the central role of the body in the context of mental and psychological processing, especially during verbal narration of individuals with chronic pain. Clinical implications may include the use of these components in the process of therapy that uses movement and verbal interventions.