Good Karma: How Giving Back Helps Arthritis Pain

By Linda Rath | July 19, 2023

Volunteering helps maintain physical, emotional and cognitive health well into older age. But does doing unto others ease pain, too? Decades of data and generations of volunteers with arthritis pain say it does. Here’s why it helps and how to get started.

Connection and Meaning

People volunteer for all kinds of reasons, but the benefits are remarkably similar. One study followed patients with chronic pain who later volunteered to work with other patients. Pain scores for the volunteers dropped considerably when they were patients, from 7.1 to 4.2, then rebounded slightly (5.8) but dropped even more – to 3.6 – when they started volunteering. Self-reported disability followed the same pattern, while depression scores just kept on dropping. The volunteers credited their newfound physical and emotional well-being to “making a connection” and “a sense of purpose.” Both are especially important for people with chronic pain, which can be isolating and disabling. Even healthy young adults say volunteering makes them feel healthier and more connected to their community and life purpose.

Other studies have similar findings. One study of 200 middle-aged women found those who volunteered the least had more pain and depression and a lower sense of life purpose than those who volunteered more.

“Compassionate actions that reduce someone else’s pain can help relieve your own pain and discomfort, too,” family physician David DeHart, MD, told The New York Times. Dr. DeHart, who practices in the Mayo Clinic Health System in Wisconsin, knows what he’s talking about. He volunteers himself and prescribes it to most of his older patients.

Mind and Body

According to a UnitedHealth Group study, about 25% of people who volunteer say it has helped them manage a chronic illness. That’s not only because helping others enriches life and satisfies a deep human need but also because it changes the way your brain works. In a series of experiments, Chinese researchers found that altruistic behavior – defined as doing something for someone else without expecting anything in return – relieved both immediate and chronic pain by significantly reducing activity in pain-processing parts of the brain.  

Your brain also has a limited attention span. When you have a demanding task, such as working at a food bank or caring for a newborn in the NICU, there’s not much attention left for pain, experts say. In some studies, challenging mental tasks stopped signals that might be perceived as painful from ever reaching the brain.

Another study found that receiving an unexpected windfall, seeing money go to a good cause, or donating money all lit up the brain’s pleasure centers, but donating money caused the most fireworks.

Getting Started Doing Good

There’s no one-size-fits-all way to volunteer, and no shortage of worthy organizations needing help. To get started:

• Think about the things you’re passionate about. The closer your volunteer gig aligns with your passions, the more rewarding it will be. The Arthritis Foundation and other advocacy organizations welcome volunteers, for example.
• Decide what skills and training you can bring to the job. You may need specific experience or skills for some types of work, but for many others, good intentions are enough.
• Figure out how many hours you can or want to devote to volunteering. Be realistic so you don’t overcommit.
• Consider your health. If you have a compromised immune system, a hospital or assisted living facility isn’t for you. And if you tire easily, think twice about walking dogs at an animal shelter.
• Keep in mind that you may need extensive training for disaster relief or emergency preparedness work.
• Think outside the box. Nonprofits are fine, but there are many other opportunities, too:
  • Help resettle refugees and immigrants
  • Teach English to non-native speakers
  • Tutor or mentor students at a local school
  • Help at a library
  • Donate books
  • Deliver meals to home-bound folks
  • Help serve meals at a food kitchen
  • Donate food or work at a food bank
  • Drive older or disabled adults to doctor appointments
  • Pick up groceries and prescriptions
  • Work on a political campaign – you can text and make phone calls from home
  • Work at a nonprofit thrift store like Goodwill. Many charitable organizations have thrift stores, so check those you’re interested in.

You can find hundreds of volunteer opportunities in your community by going online. If you love the outdoors, check out volunteer.gov. Handy with a hammer? Habitat for Humanity would like to hear from you. Or, approach the organization or group you’re interested in directly.