Have you been living with pain for months? Maybe even years?
Experiencing pain is a normal part of life, but living in chronic pain is not. It is exhausting and can affect your ability to work, take part in social gatherings, and participate in the activities you enjoy.
There are many misconceptions regarding chronic pain. Here are 3 of those common myths.
Myth #1: Pain only occurs when you are injured.
Have you ever finished yard work or gardening and afterwards noticed cuts or scratches on your arms or legs? Have you ever woken up and noticed a bruise and don’t remember how it got there? These are both examples of when your body had tissue damage but you didn’t have any pain.
Several research studies have been done where people who are pain free have undergone medical imaging (MRIs, CT Scans, X-Rays). Here are some of the surprising results:
- Disc degeneration in the low back was seen in 37% of pain free individuals in their 20s
- Disc degeneration in the low back increased to 80% in pain free individuals in their 50s
- One in four pain free individuals had meniscus degeneration (cartilage in the knee)
While these individuals had positive findings on their imaging, they were pain free. This means that despite positive findings on imaging, the results of the imaging may not be the root cause of your pain.
Read more about understanding your imaging results in our previous blog: You are Not Your MRI Results
Myth #2: Chronic pain means that tissues have not healed appropriately.
Most tissues in the body will heal within 6 to 12 months. Nociceptors, which are nerve fibers that send information from tissues to the spinal cord to the brain, can send messages in the absence of tissue damage. These messages can get interpreted as danger messages by the spinal cord and send that message to your brain. This can give the experience of pain even though tissues are normal or have healed.
Prior to an injury, the body’s nervous system or alert system tolerates activity at a normal pace. Following an injury, your nervous system, including these nociceptors, are on high alert to help with the healing process and decrease further damage. About 25% of individuals will have an extra-sensitive alert system that will remain at a heightened level and lead to chronic pain thus limiting mobility and activity. Pain involves multiple systems in the body and the key to treating chronic pain is getting all of these systems to work together again to regain homeostasis.
Myth #3: You shouldn’t exercise when you have chronic pain.
Bed rest or limiting exercise is frequently thought of as the best treatment for chronic pain but in some cases this can actually make your pain worse. It’s essential to stay active. A regular exercise routine that incorporates flexibility, strengthening, and cardio can help decrease chronic pain by releasing feel-good hormones, such as serotonin, and helps get all of your systems working together again.
Pain is a vital function that provides the body with a warning from a potential or actual threat. Unfortunately for some individuals, the pain creates an overactive alert system, but there is a process to reset the system. It is important to work with medical professionals who are trained in understanding the neuroscience of pain. Contact FX Physical Therapy to start your individualized chronic pain therapy program!
