As we now know from all the research that all pain is perceived and processed in the brain, even though we may feel the pain in our bodies. The pain we feel happens in the brain, spinal cord, and our central nervous system.
Chronic pain modifies the way the central nervous system works, resulting in people becoming more sensitive and getting more pain with less provocation. With chronic pain suffers, the brain is hard wired by the unintentional and repeated focus or anticipation of pain.
Focusing on the pain makes the pain worse. The brain has adapted overtime to send protective signals of pain to the brain which maintains pain even after the injury has healed, resulting in central nervous system sensitisation.
Your brain is neuroplastic which means it can unlearn chronic pain and de-sensitise. The more we re-train our brain the better we get at managing chronic pain.
Some treatment approaches of to de-sensitise your brain:
- Psycho – education to better understand chronic pain and the brain.
- Talk therapies – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Mindfulness, meditation, relaxation techniques and diaphragmatic breathing
- Regular exercise – Aerobic, Yoga, Pilates, Tai chi
- Health diet
- Sleep
I invite you to reach out via my website or email if you have any questions about chronic pain or for free access to St Vincent’s Hospital online chronic pain course “THIS WAY UP” https://thiswayup.org.au/courses/the-chronic-pain-course/.
