Chronic Pain
Your Nerves are alarm system:
The human body contains 45 miles of nerves and more than 400 individual nerves, which are all connected. These nerves are transforming messages from the different body parts to the spinal cord and from there to be analyzed by the brain. The nerves work as an alarm system that alert the brain of what is going on in the body. E.g. when there is a nail in the foot, the nerves increase its electrical activity and send many danger messages to the spinal cord and ultimately to the brain in order to take action. This action may be walking with less weight on the injured foot or release stress chemicals. Pain is required in this situation to alert you to remove the nail out for instance. Once the danger is out, the alarm system settle down and return to normal resting activity.
Your Nerve stay Sensitive:
In some people, nerves that “wake up” in danger situation, do not calm down easily and remain elevated and become extra sensitive. This may lead to reduced movement and function.
Pain previous experience is an important factor. It is related to how pain was explained to you before and whether you have received different explanations that leaves you with uncertainty and elevate your alarm system. Family and job issues, failed treatments and fear are other factors that will affect your alarm system. The more stressed, anxious, nervous, depressed/upset you are, the more you will experiences pain.
What to do?
- Educate yourself about pain. It is important to understand pain neuroscience.
- Aerobic exercise has been shown by research to calm nerves down. Increasing blood flow and oxygen through your body provides more nutrients to your nerves.
- Sleep hygiene: eight hours of sleep is needed for most people. Sleeping less is associated with increased rates of pain. There are many strategies to improve sleep.
- Setting goals to achieve tasks with people with chronic pain need to be broken into smaller parts accompanied with pacing in between the tasks.
- Last, consider medications with your physician. There are “happy chemicals” produced in the brain that have a calming effect and change the danger messages coming to the brain. People with continuous pain, have these chemicals dried up.