Pain Pathways and Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is processed differently from short acting acute pain. When you burn yourself on an iron the
sensation of pain is transmitted quickly to your brain causing you to remove your hand at once, without even
thinking about it.
Chronic pain reaches the brain more slowly and, unlike acute pain, it passes through the hypothalamus, an organ
that orders stress hormones to be released, and through the limbic system, which is responsible for thoughts and
emotions.
The brain is also able to send a message back down the nerves to block the pain if we are in mortal danger and need
to fight back or flee. This descending pathway provides a mechanism which can be used to block pain under non-life
threatening conditions and can also be a useful tool with which to fight chronic pain.
Neurotransmitters Of Pain
Another mechanism for transmitting pain is by the chemicals, found in every nerve cell, called
neurotransmitters. These either send or block pain messages. Serotonin is one such neurotransmitter. Serotonin
blocks pain and induces a feeling of well-being.
Endorphin is another neurotransmitter, a natural pain killer similar to morphine. This is where the runners high
comes from. The level of these chemicals varies between people and their production can be voluntarily increased,
for example by vigorous exercise. That is one reason why exercise is an important facet of pain treatment.
Based on these facts we can begin to understand why therapies that help us to literally change our minds about pain
are helpful.
If you have a chronic pain that has been thoroughly investigated without success then you can help yourself best by
learning some simple techniques to reduce pain by influencing your brain's perception of the sensations that cause
it to send out a pain signal.
Talking to Your Family
Explaining pain theory to your family might help you and them to understand what is going on. In
the end you can simply smile and agree that, yes pain is all in the head!
What Causes Chronic Pain?
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