Are you experiencing chronic pain?
This is a HUUUUGE topic, and one that needs its own Doctorate to do it justice. But on a simple level - to understand how to manage pain we first need to understand a little about how pain works.
Pain by definition is an unpleasant sensory AND emotional experience.
Therefore it is both physical and emotional 100% of the time.
You can have pain without tissue damage (you may have sensory input from the tissues - but no damage), for example when you touch a hot plate and you flinch away in pain, but have no burn. Or someone who is living with phantom limb pain - there is no longer tissue there to be damaged, yet they are still feeling very real and valid pain in that limb.
You can also have tissue damage without any pain. For example Brinjikji, 2014 estimates that 40% of 30 year old’s who do NOT have back pain still have disc bulges and over 50% will have degeneration of the disc.
‘The tale of two nails’ blog by Dr. Rachel Zoffness can help explain this concept, https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/pain-explained/201911/tale-two-nails
Pain is a perception of our brain. No one’s perception is the exact same. Our brains take all the information available to it to create a bigger picture.
This information can come from:
previous personal experiences (I have burnt myself on this hot plate before),-
secondary experiences (I have seen my mum burn her finger on this hot plate before)
cultural and societal norms (I have been warned about hot plates before)
psychological factors (I have previously had a fright/physiological response to a hotplate before).
emotional factors (when highly stressed, pain hurts more)
So if you have been trying to manage pain without looking into all of the other factors, besides the physical, exploring other contributors may be beneficial to you!
Chronic pain is exhausting, and it effects every aspect of your life. It’s also common to feel dismissed and unheard. All our practitioners have experience and are passionate about helping people manage their chronic pain. So book in to see how we can help you!
Haydie x
