Turning down the volume on the body’s alarm system: Chronic pain.

Pain that persists is horrible.

If you’ve had it more than six months, you fall into the chronic pain category and it can feel unpredictable, frustrating AND PAINFUL.

Try going to a few different body workers and they’ll all tell you something different. This is when it becomes confusing.

For many people, pain seems like a direct reflection of what is happening in the body, a sign that something is wrong or damaged. 

Pain does not always reflect tissue damage.

One of the most important truths about pain is this: Pain is not a measure of tissue health.

You can have a lot of pain without significant tissue damage, and you can have minimal pain even when tissues are injured. 

Pain is not a measuring stick for harm.

This is why flare-ups do not necessarily mean your body is being damaged. They are signals from an overprotective nervous system, not proof that your tissues are being destroyed.

If you stop reading here, then please just let that last sentence sink in. 

Pain is not only physical. 

It is also shaped by psychological and social factors. Now hang on, this is the point when some of my patients say, ‘so it’s all in my head?’ NO.

Your stress levels, mood, sleep, beliefs, relationships, and even your environment can increase or decrease pain.

The curious part is that you can learn to modify your own pain.
By understanding what is happening in your brain and body, you can use skills to turn down the intensity of pain and regain a sense of control. 

Pain is ALWAYS real. You are not broken. Your system is simply overprotective. 

As pain persists, it becomes less about the tissue

As pain persists, the nervous system can become sensitive, meaning the brain and spinal cord start to overreact to normal signals. The link between pain and tissue injury suddenly becomes less predictable. 

At this point, the pain can be more about what is happening in the brain than at the original injury site. 

Pain that once served as a useful warning sign, can be dialled down as you learn to calm the system.

Just because you feel pain does not mean you are in physical danger

I liken this to a smoke alarm that goes off even when you are just cooking dinner. In this example, the alarm system in our body can become overly protective, the alarm system can ALWAYS be on or always be UP.

Just because you feel pain does not mean you are in physical danger.

By understanding this, our patients can begin to give pain less importance and shift focus to movement and confidence, which reduces the sensitivity of their alarm system.