pain isn’t chronic, it’s just poorly managed
You Can’t See Pain with imaging
MRI’s and x-rays cannot show pain. Just because something looks abnormal on imaging doesn’t mean it hurts. Imaging can look normal when there are significant pain levels, just as they can show significant degeneration in a pain free joint. A thorough musculoskeletal evaluation by your OMPT-trained physical therapist can assist in identifying the cause of your pain. It is normal for you to have increased levels of pain and suffering when you don’t know what is injured. Once a diagnosis is given, and we understand what is happening, pain levels can reduce and you can feel better. Pain neuroscience education (PNE) focuses on educating patients in detail about the neurobiology and neurophysiology of pain and pain processing by the nervous system. There is substantial evidence in PNE’s effectiveness to reduce pain and disability measures. This education is provided by your physical therapist in addition to the therapies you are currently using to address your acute or persistent pain. Our innovative care strategies at MTI Physical Therapy will help you find quick relief.
did you know that the level of your pain does not equal the amount of tissue damage?
If that is true, then what is pain? Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling what it’s associated with, actual or potential tissue damage (IASP). So yes, your emotions around pain directly affect the levels of your pain and suffering. PNE can improve your understanding of what is happening in your body to reduce your levels of fear and anxiety about your condition.
Pain is Weird: How you think about pain can determine how you feel.
The definition of pain includes “actual or potential tissue damage.” This means that your brain can decide to feel pain if it senses the threat of tissue damage, even prior to it occurring. Nothing can be actually injured, yet your brain is providing a pain signal as a warning. It’s also weird that if the brain decides one threat is greater than another, it will block one signal over the other. How does this work? If your house is on fire, this is a threat to your life. As you run out, if you were to step on a nail you likely wouldn’t feel it that much. The brain has decided the fire is a bigger threat than the nail. Once out of the fire, you look at the nail in your foot and start feeling pain. It is now the greatest threat, as you are out of the area of the fire. Your brain can make all kinds of weird decisions on whether to perceive pain or at what intensity. This is shaped by your understanding of pain, history of injury, pain memory (your past experiences with pain,) your observations of others with pain, and many other life experiences. Your physical therapist can test your tissues and help your sift through the weirdness of how your brain is feeling pain, how pain is being referred to other parts of your body, and how your body is trying to increase or decrease your perception of pain. It’s weird for you, but fun for us.
what can i do?
Take back control of your life. Persistent pain can lead to a lower mood state, making it difficult to be your best self. Persistent pain can impact your ability to think, affect memory, alter sleep patterns and make it more and more challenging to be active and proactive. It can be easy to fall back on old coping skills that are less healthy. We understand the physical and mental toll that persistent pain has on your life. It is challenging, but you can make better choices to improve your coping mechanisms related to your pain.
It all starts with a better understanding of what is happening—how pain works. There are lots of resources to understand more about how pain works and what you can do to get back in control of it. It’s easy to get too far down the rabbit hole with information, you may want to work with your physical therapist to identify which resources are best for you and how to best interpret the information for your problem.
If you are not already working with one of our physical therapists, contact us today at our Bellevue, Edmonds, Fremont, First Hill, Magnolia or Issaquah physical therapy clinics to get started.
Books / Pamphlets
Books for Adults
- The Explain Pain Handbook (David Butler)
- Why Do I Hurt (Adriaan Louw)
- Why Do I Hurt: Workbook (Adriaan Louw)
- Everyone Has Back Pain (Adriaan Louw)
- Whiplash: An Alarming Message From Your Nerves(Adriaan Louw)
- Your Nerves Are Having Back Surgery (Adriaan Louw)
- Your Headache Isn’t All In Your Head (Adriaan Louw)
- Why Pelvic Pain Hurts (Adriaan Louw)
- Why Are My Nerves So Sensitive? (Adriaan Louw)
- Your Nerves Are Having Knee Replacement (Adriaan Louw)
- Back In Control (David Hanscom)
Books For Children
- Conquering Your Child’s Chronic Pain: A Pediatrician’s Guide for Reclaiming a Normal Childhood (Lonnie Zeltzer)
- Relieve Your Child’s Chronic Pain: A Doctor’s Program for Easing Headaches, Abdominal Pain, Fibromyalgia, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and More (Krane EJ, Mitchell, D)
- Managing Your Child’s Chronic Pain (Palermo TM, Law EF).
- When Your Child Hurts: Effective Strategies to Increase Comfort, Reduce Stress, and Break the Cycle of Chronic Pain (Coakley R)
Videos on Pain
Self Help Videos on Pain
Websites
Podcasts
Don’t let pain control your life anymore! Our physical therapists at our Bellevue, Edmonds, Fremont, First Hill, Magnolia and Issaquah physical therapy clinics are ready to help you better understand how pain works and how you can take charge.