Your pain explained
What is Chronic pain?
Most of us suffer from Chronic pain which refers to persistent pain we've had for over three months or pain which comes and goes. Up until now, the typical route to seek a cure for Chronic pain, such as back pain, has been to visit an Osteopath, Physiotherapist, Chiropractor or Acupuncturist - or even a combination of them all.
We receive hands on treatment, are offered advice on ways to stretch and strengthen our back and core muscles and possibly have been told our posture is the cause and we need to be ‘realigned’.
But, regardless of what we try, the relief is only temporary and the pain either consistently remains or comes and goes.
Why do I have pain?
Pain is not physical or structural. In other words, although the pain we feel is real, it's not coming from our body. Let's take an example. We have chronic back pain and we have an MRI scan to find out what is wrong. The scan shows we have degenerative discs and the medical profession associate degeneration with pain. However, this isn't actually true because discs and nerves don't cause pain. Degeneration and the changes in our backs over time is a common ageing process. Every person will degenerate but not every person will experience pain. So, on that basis, the automatic association between degeneration and pain, cannot be true.
But, if pain isn't coming from our body then where is it coming from? You may be surprised to hear this but all pain comes from our brain, not our body or nerves. This is what we refer to as Neuroplastic Pain Symptoms.
So what is Neuroplastic Pain Syndrome?
Our brain's primary function is to protect us for our survival. When our brain is triggered it doesn't separate real danger from imaginary danger. So, real danger could be something like a speeding car rushing towards us. Imaginary danger is the concept that our body is damaged. Regardless of the danger, our brain activates the hormones from our Sympathetic Nervous System in exactly the same way.
We tell ourselves that we are damaged, or fragile, or that minor movements will risk our back getting worse. Our brain listens to all of these messages and as a form of protection, sends pain when we make even minor movements, such as putting on our socks.
The problem is the more we negatively speak to our sub conscious, the more likely we are to feel pain. The more pain we feel, the more worried you become, the more worried we become the greater the fear. The greater our fear the more your brain reacts. It’s a cycle of pain that never stops - unless you want it to.
Our Brain
We need to start by understanding the term neuroplasticity which is also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity. In summary, this is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganisation. In simple terms we can re-wire the brain so that it changes the way it functions. For example, we can learn a completely new skill through our brain acquiring new information and becoming accomplished in that skill through repetition.
What this means is that although the pain you feel is real, the source of that pain is unlikely to be structural. Instead, it’s is more likely that we are one of the c88% of chronic pain suffers who actually have Neuroplastic Pain Symptoms. And, if we are, we can be pleased about that because it means our body isn’t broken, we don’t have irreparable damage and we can free ourself from pain for good.
How do we do that? Through my Neuroplastic Pain Programme.
My work and Pain Programme
My programme involves identifying underlying ACE's (adverse childhood experiences) which are the reasons for our stress, our pain and/or the symptoms we are suffering from. The programme is tailored entirely to individual circumstances so it's very personalised.
My approach focuses on education about the brain's role in symptom perception, helping you understand that ongoing health issues are not due to structural problems but, instead, stem from unresolved stress, trauma, and conditioned responses.
The Programme helps you rewire your neural pathways and break free from chronic pain and stress-related symptoms. This involves identifying and addressing the underlying psychological and emotional contributors to pain, allowing the nervous system to reset and heal.
Whether you have been struggling with pain or recurring symptoms or are simply looking to take control of your health, I can help you on your journey to recovery.
