Doctor of Physical Therapy in Oceanside, California Discusses Pain and What You Should Know to Better Understand Yours…
Many people seek out medical treatment due to PAIN. In fact, according to the American Academy of Pain Medicine over 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. To better understand how our body works this blog will provide some quick, vital details about the what, how and why of PAIN.
First of all, it is important to note that pain is a normal part of the human experience. Pain warns and protects us from actual and/or perceived threats to our well being. An example of this would be walking barefoot on the beach and stepping on something sharp. The nerves in your foot send danger signals (PAIN) to the brain letting you know that action is needed. This action could be to stop and inspect what is causing this sensation; then, you determine to remove the stimulus (a nail) from your foot. Soon you should feel better and can hopefully return to your day at the beach.
But what happens if the pain remains even after the stimulus has been removed? This is common in many chronic pain patients leading them to seek various forms of treatment. Why does the pain continue even though it has been weeks, months or years since their initial injury? The answer is that the pain created an elevated alarm system as a method of protection that resulted in decreasing your nerves sensitivity to any stimulus. Meaning that something as non threatening as even light touch over a previously injured area can cause pain.
So how do you “reset” the alarm system? Fortunately there are many options but the most successful start is understanding the pain response in more detail. Depending on the nature of your injury a variety of medical professionals can offer assistance. If your issue is related to the musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones and surrounding soft tissues) often your best option is your local physical therapist.
See the link below for additional information on the 9 things you should know about pain.
