How does pain work? An introduction

1. How does pain work? An introduction Pain isn’t as simple as we think it is. It’s a complex process with a lot of moving parts and all of these parts move differently in each person. We used to think that we only feel sore when we are injured. The worse the injury, the worse the pain. But is that really how it works? Let’s see what Coach Boone says about it There’s a great scene in “Remember The Titans” where the coach (Denzel Washington) is trying to hype up the team. He asks, “What is pain?”, Team replies, “French bread!”. (Bread in French sounds like pain)

2. Coach: “What is fatigue?” Team: “Army Clothes!” Coach: “Will you everrrr quit??” Team: “No! We want some mo’! We want some mo’!” Coach Boone wants to change how the team thinks. He wants to change how the team thinks about pain, fatigue and quitting. He knows the players will experience some soreness on the field. The coach is trying to turn it into a positive experience though. Maybe he wants to change it enough that they WANT to feel hurt. So why would it matter what the team thinks about their pain? Check out the video, it will work on you too! https://youtu.be/A6LbPLzJCxw Pain is there to protect you Pain is there to protect you. Generally, people believe this is the body’s way of telling you something is wrong in that part of the body. Research on pain has come along way in the last few decades though. The research found that it doesn’t really work like that. Pain is actually the brain’s way of telling you it thinks you’re in danger based on an analysis of all the information it has. If the brain processes all the information it has and concludes that there is enough evidence to believe you’re in danger, it will result in you experiencing pain. This information includes what is going on in your tissues, but it also includes what’s happening in your environment (what you’re seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, tasting), your beliefs, your knowledge, your culture and your past experiences. What you think about your pain can actually affect how it feels In fact, what you think about your pain can actually affect its output. It can be a vicious cycle. You may get a sudden ache after lifting a heavy box and you start

3. getting worried about it. You may think you tore something or “slipped a disc” (that’s not a thing by the way). These catastrophizing beliefs about your pain can actually increase how it feels. So Denzel is actually changing the way his players interpret their pain which can minimize their painful experience. If the players learn to ignore their pain or even see it as a positive experience and want their pain, they’ll keep playing longer and be able to win. (I’m not saying I agree with the approach but that the approach makes sense) My mom is a lot like Denzel when it comes to pain My mom is a lot like Denzel in that they both understand pain a little better than most people and they’re both beautiful and perfect. When I was learning how to ride a bike as a kid, I remember falling off my bike and scraping my knee. My mom would casually walk over to me and check my knee out. She would say it’s only a scratch and start laughing. Then I would start laughing and I’d get back to riding my bike. Of course, I did feel some knee pain, and maybe I was limping for a bit also. As time went on though, it got better and better, day after day until it was gone. So what would have happened if my mom ran over to me screaming and panicking when I fell over? What if she stopped me from riding my bike that day and drowned my body in hydrogen peroxide and put a cast around my knee? How do you think that would affect my pain? It’s OK to protect an injured body part but being overprotective is a sure fire way of prolonging and increasing the painful experience. If pain is produced by the brain, why do I feel it if I fall and bang my knee? You might ask, if pain is produced by the brain, why do I feel it if I fall and bang my knee? Or if I get punched? Great question! Your tissues have danger messengers (we call them nociceptors in the biz) that innervate them. specialized nerves that are activated at higher intensity mechanical changes (getting punched in the arm), temperature changes (hand on a hot stove), and chemical These are changes (putting salt on an open wound). For example, the difference between someone lightly touching you and someone punching you is the difference between regular pressure (mechanical) nerves in your body being activated and specialized danger messengers in your body being

4. activated. There is a difference in intensity and force between you getting lightly touched and getting punched hard. Both of these end in nerves being activated in your body, but one of the ways your brain is able to tell the difference is by different types of nerves being activated. When these nerves get activated, they send impulses to the spinal cord and then to the brain for interpretation. This is just one piece of information for the brain to analyze in determining whether or not there is a potential threat that you need to address. These are not pain messages or pain nerves It’s important to understand that these are not “pain” messages or “pain nerves”. The brain can receive information from these danger messengers without it resulting in you feeling pain. Have you ever noticed a bruise on your arm or notice a cut somewhere but don’t remember getting it? That’s an example of these danger messengers being activated since there was obvious tissue damage but the brain determined it wasn’t a big enough threat to make you feel pain and protect that area. So you never even felt the tissue injury that gave you that bruise or mild cut. Why does it matter? Pain is a complex system that helps protect you from injury! We need it! But why does all of this matter? With all this new information, we now know in order to decrease pain, we don’t necessarily need to “heal” someone’s body. It’s a game changer! Original Source: https://knowpainphysio.com/how-does-pain-work-an- introduction/