The effect of stress on recovery, healing and performance

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Everyone gets a little stressed from time to time but do you know what impact this has on your body?


You may have heard about Cortisol in relation to stress. Well Cortisol is actually a Glucocorticoid and stress triggers the release of Glucocorticoid and Catecholamine. These hormones have been found to delay wound and injury healing (Gouina and Kiecolt-Glasera 2011).

These hormones have also been shown to reduce local Cytokine production, which is extremely important in the inflammatory process and therefore healing (Broadbent et al 2003).

It has also been found that stress reduces important healing related compounds such as Matrix metalloproteinase, which is important for early healing.

On the other side of the coin, Oxytocin and Vasopressin have been found to increase healing rate by surpressing Cortisol and there may be a direct impact to healing itself. These Hypothalamic peptides are linked to social bonding (Gouin et al 2010). So this could mean that having support from friends and family could actually speed up your healing time.

Stress can also create behaviour changes that can have a detrimental effect on healing. Examples of these are alcohol or smoking.

Other commonly reported behavioural changes are sleep disturbances, poorer diet, less activity levels and less exercise participation:

Heavy alcohol use delays in cell migration and collagen deposition at the wound site (Benvenistem and Thut 1981).

Smoking reduces blood flow and therefore slows healing (Silverstein 1992).



Sleep disruption diminishes growth hormone production, which drives healing processes (Veldhuis and Iranmanesh 1996).

Exercise releases hormones such as endophines, which counteract stress and therefore enhance healing rate (Keylock et al 2008).

We are what we eat! A deficient intake of nutrients and vitamins can impede the healing process (Russell 2001).

Performance and recovery:

Stults-Kolehmainen et al (2014) found that when the participants were stressed they couldn't produce the same isometric muscle forces for over 96 hours!

Another study by the same author in 2012 found that recovery rates were slower after exercise for the high stress group.

So stress can have a major impact on how well and how quickly we heal from injury. It also affects our recovery and performance. So make sure that you remember this next time that you are injured!


If you need any further information or would like to book an appointment then call Hawkes Physiotherapy on 01782 771861 or 07866195914



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