Do you ever find yourself asking, “when is my pain going to go away?" If so, you're not alone. This is a question that has crossed the minds of everyone I've ever talked to about pain. But when it comes to providing a definite answer, even qualified medical practitioners like myself can't always oblige. In this post, we'll delve into the intricacies of pain and why it can be so challenging to predict its duration. While we may not have all the answers, understanding pain is the first step to managing it effectively.
Pain is a multifaceted and enigmatic experience. It encompasses biological, psychological, and social elements, making it an intricate phenomenon to comprehend fully and address. Each person experiences pain in their own unique way, which adds to the complexity of designing tailored treatments. However, education about pain can empower everyone to cope with it more effectively.
In this post I'm going to explain a concept about pain that will help you understand why you are still experiencing that nagging ache when bend down to put on your sock - even though it's been years since your initial back injury. I'm also going to briefly explain why we may feel pain in the first place and how our daily experiences can affect our overall relationship with pain.
The Importance of Pain
Nobody enjoys pain; it sucks. Yet, this unpleasant feeling is what makes pain so crucial. It acts as a warning, a way for our bodies to protect us and signal danger. We need pain to alert us when there is a potential threat to our well-being, encouraging us to either eliminate the danger or avoid it altogether.
Story Time: Our Experiences and Pain
Let me illustrate this concept with a story by Lorimer Mosley, one of the leading pain science specialists in the world. Imagine you're strolling down the street, and you feel a brush across the outside of your leg. It's a sensation you've encountered before, perhaps from something as harmless as a stick brushing your leg. Your brain recognizes this as non-threatening, and you continue walking without experiencing any pain.
Now, picture a scenario where that same brushing sensation on your leg is caused by something dangerous, like a poisonous snake. Your brain, accustomed to the harmless stick, doesn't register the danger. Consequently, you keep walking and brush off the snakebite but end up in a hospital due to the real threat.
In this instance, it might seem like our pain system failed us because it couldn't distinguish a stick from a snake and didn't send the appropriate alarm signals. However, your body didn't perceive danger at the time, so it had no reason to activate your pain response.
Imagine you're on another walk, and you feel that familiar brush on your leg (like the snake bite scenario). This time, you're in intense pain and can't even move forward. Surprisingly, this time, it's just a harmless stick. But because your brain perceived danger from past experiences (the snake), it overreacted, focusing all your attention on this "threat" to keep you safe. This illustrates how our pain system can sometimes overreact, shedding light on the pain you feel when putting on your sock, even without an active injury.
Everyday experiences
This same phenomenon can occur with other common activities such as lifting weights, picking up an item off the ground, or lifting a bag overhead. A prior injury with an activity can make that same activity painful even without an active injury. That one time you bent over and accidentally twisted while picking up a box causing you to be bedridden for 3 days straight is not easily forgotten by your brain.
Because of this incident every time you do a forward bending movement, like putting on a sock, your brain remembers the agony. “Don’t do it again!”, your brain shouts. If we take a step back and look at the scenario, we realize that no danger was actually present. We realize that this doesn’t make any sense and that there should be nothing to fear!
While this doesn't apply to everyone experiencing pain, it emphasizes that pain doesn't always result from tissue injury or a direct traumatic event. If you experience pain when putting on your sock, even years after a back injury, it might not signify further damage to your back; it's most likely just your pain system remembering a past traumatic event.
Luckily, we can change this relationship with pain with a little knowledge and effort (more information in a separate post to come 👀).
Where to go from here
We've only scratched the surface of pain and pain science in this post. The complexities of this topic warrant an entire series. "Understanding the Complex Nature of Pain," as we've named it, will explore various pain science theories, provide examples to enhance your understanding, and help you develop a healthier relationship with pain.
If you have any questions or just want to discuss pain, please don't hesitate to reach out or contact us.
References:
Butler, David et al., Explain Pain, Adelaide, Australia, Noigroup Publications, 2013
Dr. Nicholas Tanner, PT, DPT
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