Dr David McGrath

Spine Physician

MB BS (Hons) FAFOM, RACP, FAFMM
Master of Pain Medicine

The argument is simple.
A cause "A" creates situation "B", but "B" then causes "A". This is now a perpetuting cycle. A positive feedback loop.
Many people in pain, feel they are caught in a vicious cycle.
One such example, is the so called, pain, muscle spasm, pain, cycle. This can become the justification for removing, muscle tightness, as the mediator of the cycle.
Mathematically and physically, we can imagine such cycles to exist, however physiologically, it is very doubtful they exist at all. Living entities are designed to distribute stress and return to an equilibrium. If pain generates muscle activity,it is more likely that this measure will reduce the stress about an injured component, and hence reduce pain. If the situation does not resolve within a certain time frame, the muscles themselves could ache. It is conceivably that the muscles deprive the injury of blood , making the pain worse, and onto a vicious cycle. For nature to make such a mistake over millenia is unlikely. Such behaviour has negative survival value. Much more likely, is a system that has optimised,and failure to heal, is an indication of an unresolvable injury or unremoveable destructive input.
Continuing negative input, creates pain from an injured or damaged structure, leading to protective muscle tension, and pehaps further muscle pain, as a irresolvable situation. This is not a vicious cycle, but an incomplete, and unsatisfactory, stabilising pattern.