Pain Science 101: What it is and How it works
Pain Science 101
Pain is a common experience that everyone understands. However, people perceive and experience pain differently. Has anyone ever told you that your pain is all in your head? To an extent, they were right. Let’s dive into a bit of pain science.
Pain is ALWAYS perceived at the brain. Of course there are pain receptors throughout the body, but all perceptions of pain must travel through the brain in order to be perceived. Does this mean that mechanical stress to your tissues doesn’t actually correlate with pain? NO, of course not. We all know that if we prick our finger with a pin, there is a pain response evoked. This is known as acute pain. However, in chronic pain, there are more factors to consider. Chronic pain becomes a multi-faceted condition in which emotions, beliefs, past experiences, diet, and lifestyle all play a role.
As of recently, there has been a great extent of research emerging on “pain science” and how pain is perceived. One of the leading researchers in the field of pain science is Lorimer Moseley. From him and his colleagues, we have learned that the central nervous system plays a huge role in chronic, persistent pain. After being in pain for an extended period of time (over 3 months), the nervous system starts to become hyper-sensitized to pain responses. This leads to increased pain responses even from low-level pain stimuli. For example, a patient who has been in persistent pain for several months, can potentially experience a sympathetic nervous system reaction by just thinking of movements. Don’t believe me, see it here:
Imagined movements cause pain and swelling in a patient with complex regional pain syndrome, by Lorimer Moseley.
The following two videos will really help you understand the mechanisms of pain and how it is perceived by the brain.
This first video is one of my favorite videos on pain because it is simplified so that anyone can understand it. I often share this with patients who have been experiencing chronic pain and haven’t found relief yet. It can help them understand how multidimensional chronic pain really is.
This next video is part of a TED Talks by leading pain science researcher, Lorimer Moseley on pain and why things hurt.
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I’ve been to a conference with Lorimer Moseley and heard one of his talks regarding new research on pain science. One of the many things I took away from his talk was that the expected outcome of the patients is one of the best predictors of actual outcome. Essentially, this means that if a patient believes they can get rid of their pain, they are more likely to do so. This goes to show how important the attitude of the patient is during rehabilitation, especially with chronic pain. The patient’s thoughts and beliefs about their pain will continue to dictate pain. It is therefore always necessary to educate patients on what pain really is and how it can be modified through the central nervous system.
Are you experiencing chronic pain? Learn how to overcome your chronic pain here! Also be sure to check out this article on how you may be able to treat your own low back pain.
Have you been to a physical therapist for consultation yet? Find a PT near you on MoveForewardPT or Movement Providers.
As always, please feel free to share this with anyone you think can benefit from it! Thanks.