All in your Brain

People with chronic pain are often told it’s all in their mind, but the truth may be that it’s actually all in the brain.
Our brains and nervous system have an astonishing ability to rewire themselves in response to new experiences and challenges. This can be a positive thing, allowing us to build new connections to take over everyday tasks after a severe injury.

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But not all new pathways are helpful. Some new pathways formed after an injury or trauma can communicate pain. And, if an episode of acute pain is not adequately managed, those new connections may never switch off, continuing to transmit the pain message even after the original injury has healed. This is how we can continue to experience debilitating back pain years after the original tissue damage heals. Research shows that adequate treatment of the acute pain associated with an injury or surgery may be the keys to preventing people going on to develop chronic pain. In other words, if you suffer stoically through an episode of acute pain, you could be setting yourself up for a chronic pain problem down the track.