ADVERTISING: Advertorial — The brain’s effect on pain
Dr. Wayne M. Fichter Jr.
New research in neuroscience shows a strong connection between your brain’s adaptability and your perception of physical or emotional pain. This ability of the brain to change and adapted is called neuroplasticity. Everyone experiences helpful neuroplasticity every day, where our nervous system learns and adapts. Riding a bike, driving home or even brushing our teeth are a few examples of helpful neuroplasticity. Your brain adapts to routine things which allows the nervous system to free up the brain, so it is available to do other tasks. Unfortunately, there is also a downside to neuroplasticity, and persistent pain is a prime example. In this situation, neuroplasticity makes the brain and nervous system ultra-sensitive and hyperactive to otherwise normal sensations and activities. Normal everyday tasks become painful even when they shouldn’t be. Certain triggers, like psychological or physical stress can often trigger this unwanted neuroplasticity, which can lead to persistent pain.
There are two types of pain: peripheral pain and centralized pain. Peripheral pain is an aching pain that you feel locally, and centralized pain is more complicated type of pain facilitated by the brain and spinal cord. In peripheral pain (such as stubbing your toe), the brain produces alarm signals warning us of damage to our body. This is a helpful alarm that is designed to protect us, even if it is painful it become important. For example, touching a hot stove, your brain remembers it is going to hurt. However, in people with persistent or chronic pain, the brain and nervous system can go into hyper-drive and both the nervous system and immune system are involved. During this process the nervous system and immune system release chemicals which increase the number of connections and number of signals flying around in the brain and spinal cord. This results in pain being felt during activities and movements that should not normally provoke pain. Pain can even be felt by thoughts alone and the pain may even spread to other parts of the body.
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