Can Pain Cause High Blood Pressure?

Pain can cause high blood pressure due to what's called the baroreceptor reflex of your nervous system. This reflex tells the body to constrict blood flow, which increases blood pressure.

Since both acute and chronic pain lead to an involuntary response from the nervous system, the brain will automatically sense pain and work to stop it from harming the body. Blood pressure changes will continue until the pain is no longer detected, when blood vessels relax and blood pressure returns to normal levels.

This article discusses why pain can cause high blood pressure. It will help you to know what symptoms to watch for and how hypertension can be managed with lifestyle changes, like smoking cessation or stress management, as well as medication.

Beautiful and lovely looking senior couple measuring blood pressure to one another at home.

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Acute Pain and High Blood Pressure

Acute pain is pain that comes on quickly out of nowhere. Some of the sudden causes of acute pain include:

  • Disease
  • Injury
  • Inflammation

Acute pain has an inverse relationship with resting blood pressure and pain sensitivity. Blood pressure should return to normal levels rather quickly when it's related to this type of pain.

Chronic Pain and High Blood Pressure

Acute pain that does not go away will become chronic. It can last weeks, months, or even years. This type of pain may be associated with:

  • A sprain
  • Infection
  • An ongoing medical condition

Chronic pain may also occur without any past injury or body damage.

One study showed people with persistent low back pain for more than two years had higher resting blood pressure levels than those with no pain.

Chronic Pain and High Blood Pressure

When pain is chronic, the nervous system is always working to try to fix it. Over time the nervous system will lose its ability to regulate blood pressure. This is why high blood pressure is often associated with chronic pain.

What Are the Symptoms of Pain and High Blood Pressure?

Symptoms that may occur with pain and high blood pressure include the following:

A pounding sensation in the neck, chest, or ears also may be a sign of high blood pressure.

Managing Pain and Blood Pressure

High blood pressure pain may be managed with or without medications.

Lifestyle Changes

There are quite a few lifestyle changes you can make in order to better manage pain and high blood pressure. These changes include:

  • Eat a healthy diet: Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils. Reduce sodium, sugar, saturated, and trans fats (often found in fried and processed foods) in your diet.
  • Limit or avoid alcohol: Even just one or two drinks a day can increase blood pressure. Talk to your healthcare provider about how much alcohol you can safely consume.
  • Get daily exercise and physical activity: Regular daily exercise and physical activity can lower and control blood pressure levels. Ask your healthcare provider what types of activities are right for you.
  • Maintain a healthy weight: Maintaining a healthy weight may regulate blood pressure. Losing even just 3% to 5% of body weight can decrease blood pressure in people who are overweight or obese.
  • Quit smoking: Smoking constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure.
  • Manage stress: Manage mental and physical stress with meditation, exercise, and self-care. 
  • Get enough sleep: Get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Improve sleep habits by having a calming bedtime ritual, keeping a cool dark bedroom, and going to bed and getting up at regular times. 
  • Acupuncture: Acupuncture is an alternative medicine practice in which tiny needles are strategically placed throughout your body. It may improve blood pressure. A small study found 15 sessions of acupuncture over the period of one month significantly improved blood pressure in people with hypertension.

Medication

Your healthcare provider may also prescribe medications to lower blood pressure. They will often take into account any other existing health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or kidney issues. Medications that manage blood pressure include the following:

  • Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors help prevent the narrowing of blood vessels.
  • Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs): These drugs relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure by blocking angiotensin II. This compound restricts blood flow and narrows arteries and veins.
  • Calcium channel blockers: This medication prevents excessive calcium from constricting blood flow and increasing pressure.
  • Diuretics: Diuretics remove extra water and sodium from the body.
  • Beta-blockers: Beta-blockers lower blood pressure by lowering your heartbeat.

What Else Raises Blood Pressure?

Other factors also may affect blood flow and blood pressure. The following can raise blood pressure:

  • Age: The risk of hypertension increases as you age.
  • Family: You are more likely to get high blood pressure if it runs in your family.
  • Already having another disease: Unmanaged diabetes, heart disease, thyroid, kidney, and autoimmune conditions may cause high blood pressure.
  • Having clogged arteries: Damage to blood vessels may change their structure and increase blood pressure.
  • Diet: Diets high in sugar and sodium can increase blood pressure.
  • Lifestyle choices: Low physical activity, smoking, moderate alcohol intake, and not getting enough sleep are associated with high blood pressure.
  • Mental health: Loneliness, stress, anxiety, and anger have been linked to increases in blood pressure.
  • Your self-esteem: Low-self esteem and negative self-talk are harmful to blood pressure. 
  • Medications: NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen), decongestants, hormonal birth control, and antidepressants are medications that can increase blood pressure.
  • Hydration status: Not drinking enough water can cause high blood pressure.

Summary

Pain is a response from the involuntary nervous system used to protect the body from harm. No matter what type of pain occurs, the nervous system uses the same mechanisms to relieve it. As a result, there is a rise in blood pressure.

In acute pain, blood pressure elevations are quickly returned to normal. On the other hand, when chronic pain occurs, there are continuous elevations that weaken the body's ability to normalize blood pressure. This can lead to more pain, hypertension, and the risk of heart disease.

High blood pressure can be noted by various symptoms but sometimes people experience no symptoms at all. The only way to know if your blood pressure is high is to have it checked, so that you can take steps to manage pain and high blood pressure through lifestyle changes and medication.

A Word From Verywell 

Everyone’s experience with pain is different. If you find yourself with chronic pain, you may also have high blood pressure. Learning to manage your pain-related high blood pressure is important to prevent any other further health complications. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out what you can do to lower blood pressure.

12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Photo of registered dietitian nutritionist Jeanette Kimszal

By Jeanette Kimszal, RDN
Jeanette found a passion for health and wellness after her own transformation. This led to the pursuit of becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) in 2015. As an RDN, Jeanette uses her journalism and nutrition education to create evidence-based health content.