If you’re someone who is thinking about going to physical therapy, already goes to physical therapy, or even is a patient at our clinic, you’ve probably heard the term “pain science” thrown around.
Pain science is the study of pain, how it affects the body, and how it involves the brain. Pain is a very important subject that is studied and treated by every type of medical professional. As most people would guess, pain is the main reason why people visit a physical therapist.
Pain science tells us that without your brain you would not feel pain. Pain begins and ends in your brain. Pain can be and is oftentimes a result of tissue injury, but that pain does not come from the injury. It comes from the brain. When your body’s tissue is injured, your brain tells you that you’re hurt by creating the sensation of pain.
However, there are instances when your brain creates pain when there is no tissue injury. This is called chronic pain. There are also instances when your brain doesn’t send you the signal of pain when there is an actual injury because your brain is too focused on other functions such as telling your body to run away from a bear after you’ve been bit.
Now, you might be thinking that the work being done in pain science doesn’t sound like it’ll help you much with your pain. Don’t fret! It really will! Being able to recognize that your brain is causing the pain that you’re experiencing really helps in treating that pain. It changes the way that we craft a treatment plan for you. More importantly, it changes the way you see your experience with pain and helps you learn that you have more control over it than you might have previously thought.
If you would like to learn more about pain science and chronic pain, give us a call, meet with us, or send us an email.
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