explain
pain
4
section
83
page
Pain becomes less predictable:
It may hurt one day
but not the next. Youmay be able to play with your
children for an hour one day but not even pick them up
on the next day. Sudden stabs of pain can occur which
are seemingly unrelated to anything. The best
explanation for this unpredictability is that pain is
evoked bymuchmore than the demands on your tissues.
Theremay be a latent period before pain presents after
an activity. There could be a delay of hours or even days.
This latency does not usually occur with damaged tissues
and is a feature of a sensitised central alarm system.
Pain linksmore to your thoughts and feelings:
It may be worse when you feel down or upset or have the
flu. It may be better when you are happy and occupied.
Painmay be linked to other threats in life previous,
current and anticipated:
Sometimes it is possible to
identify physically and emotionally traumatic events,
even frommany years ago, that might make the brain
more vigilant to threat. Of course, recurrent ormultiple
traumatic events would give the brainmore reason to be
protective of the body. Remember, the best way to protect
the body is tomake it hurt.
Can you identifywith any of these commonly
heard statements:
‘It comes onwhen I think about it.’
‘Watching someonemovemakes it hurt.’
‘It started off so simply and now it has spread.’
‘It’s worse onMonday.’
‘Now there is a ‘mirror’ pain on the other side ofmy body.’
‘The pain has amind of its own.’
‘I get lots of different diagnoses – youname it, I’ve had it.’
‘It gets better with a gin and tonic or a vodka.’
‘It follows a seasonal, monthly, weekly or other cycle.’
‘Treatment only ever givesme temporary relief.’
‘My pain is worse when I am anxious or depressed.’
‘It’s the same painmymother had.’
‘The painmoves aroundmy body.’
‘No-one seems to believeme.’
‘I am sick of taking pills that don’t help’
With this pattern it is likely that the processes
underpinning the pain experience are not predominantly
in the tissues, they aremore in the nervous system and
brain in a very real, understandable, andmanageableway.
'Somatoform
pain disorder'
Pain due to neurosis
'Chronic fatigue
syndrome'
Always tired
'Myofascial syndrome'
Pain in the muscles
and fascia
'Lumbopelvic instability'
Varying pain in the
back and pelvis area
'Non-specific
low back pain'
Low back pain not
caused by anything in
particular
'Psychosomatic
pain syndrome'
Pain caused by
thoughts and emotions
'Repetitive strain injury'
Pain started by
repetitive movements
'Non-specific
neuropathic pain'
Pain caused by faulty
nerves
'Whiplash associated
disorder'
Pain and other symptoms
around the neck after
a car accident
'Fibromyalgia'
What does this
really mean?
'Pain in the muscles
and ligaments'
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