Chronic Pain: Why do I hurt so much? Part I
Pain is NORMAL.
Without pain, humans wouldn’t survive. Pain is a protective mechanism designed to keep us alive.
As a whole, the health field focuses on pain caused by tissues, such as muscles, ligaments and joints, which is generally healed between 3 and 6 months.
However the difference between normal pain and chronic, persistent pain, is due to our sensitive nervous system and how our brains process information from the body and the environment.
This article is written to educate you on how the nervous system and brain processes information and contributes to your pain experience.
The latest research shows that the more you know about pain and how it works, the better off you’ll be. This includes moving and functioning better, experiencing less pain, and having an increased ability and interest in doing more healthy exercise and movement.
Your Nerves
Your body contains 45 miles of nerves and more than 400 individual nerves - all connected like a network of roads.
These nerves connect all body parts to the spinal cord so messages can be sent from your tissues to the brain for analysis.
Your nerves monitor your body like an built in alarm system. The nerves send the messages to your brain which then would decode this information and create an action plan.
For example, if you step on a lego, the brain’s action may include producing pain in the foot, walking funny, and investigating what could be the cause of pain, and removing the lego from under your foot.
Once you take care of the danger, your alarm system should settle down and return to its normal resting state - ready for the next danger.
In some instances, the nerves that wake up to “alert” you calm down very slowly and remain elevated and “buzzing”. In this state, it doesn’t take much activity (sitting, bending, driving) to get the nerves to fire off a danger message to the brain.
The nerves become extra sensitive.
Think of a home alarm system.
Normally day to day activities don’t set off the alarm.
But your alarm system is so sensitive, that when a leaf blows by the house, it sets off the alarm. The system needs to be changed to decrease sensitivity.
How do I know if my alarm system is too sensitive?
Your activity level before reaching pain has decreased a lot.
You instinctively know you have become more sensitive.
Pressure on your skin or around the painful area is very sensitive.
When doctors, PT, or OT test you or move your body parts, you’re very sensitive.
Why did this happen to me?
Uncertainty will leave the system elevated for a while as you seek answers. There are often different explanations for your pain through the internet, Dr. Oz, friends, family, doctors, and therapists.
Pain impacts your family and job, leading to expensive tests, lost work time, frustration, and financial concerns. These provide little incentive for the brain to turn down the alarm system.
Failed Treatment: You may wonder why treatment isn’t working. You’ve attended multiple doctor visits, therapy appointments, and the pain isn’t better. It might be worse. As long as your brain has these concerns, the alarm will remain elevated.
Fear is quite common. It’s been shown that fear of injury, or re-injury, and fear of exercise or movement will keep the alarm system turned on, rather than off.
-This article is summarizing “Why Do I Hurt” by Adriaan Louw, PT. I highly recommend this book for anyone but especially for those undergoing surgery or have chronic pain.
