Pain is normal. It’s the most powerful protective device we have. However, when pain persists and feels like it is ruining your life, it is difficult to see how it can be serving any useful purpose.
Studies suggest that at any one time, around 20 percent of people on the face of the earth are suffering from chronic pain. That is, pain that persists or recurs for longer than three months.
Blyth, F.M. et.al. (2001) Chronic Pain in Australia: a prevalence study. Pain 89:127-134
If you are in pain now, you are not alone.
You’ve developed pain. You have been to the doctor. They have diagnosed you with a disc bulge, pelvic pain, irritable bowel syndrome or fibromyalgia. Your doctor gives you medication or maybe injections or even surgery. Nothing helps.
Maybe you try physiotherapy. A chiropractor. Cut out gluten or dairy. Sometimes things help for a day or a week, but then your pain comes back. Maybe it moves to the other side of your back? Or your leg. Pretty soon you feel like you have seen ‘everyone’. The pain is now impacting your daily life, your sleep, your relationships, your whole life.
Sound familiar?
Most chronic pain treatment is designed to help you ‘live with the pain’.
I want to help empower you to live your life.
Pain is not in your head. You are not crazy. Your are not nuts. You don’t ‘want’ pain.
Have you been told there’s nothing wrong with you?
It’s ‘all in your head’ ?
What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is defined by pain that has been continuing for longer than three months. We know that acute injuries heal. Tissue damage, infection, broken bones - they all heal. Sometimes, for many reasons, pain remains and is then classified as chronic.
Previous medical treatment for those suffering from chronic pain has been from a medical model of ‘pain management’. Treatment has previously consisted of ways for patients to ‘cope’ or live with the pain. Techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance Therapy, medication, movement therapy and lifestyle changes.
Recent research shows that most long-term pain is not caused by tissue damage or abnormal structures. Instead it results from altered nerve pathways in the brain. Fortunately, techniques exist for using the brain to deactivate pain A nerve pathway consists of a network in the brain that enables action by the body. Examples of nerve pathway actions include riding a bicycle, walking, chewing, signing one’s name, and simple addition and multiplication.
When a bodily injury occurs, signals are received by many parts of the brain, including sensory, emotional and danger assessment areas. These areas in turn interact with memory centers to determine if you are in danger. If danger is perceived by the brain, then nerves are activated to produce a physical response. which serves to protect you from further danger.
Our childhood history, emotional responses and personality types can all contribute to these nerve pathways or neural circuits.
Fundamentally, chronic pain is caused by perceived danger in the brain. When the danger signal is turned off, the pain will decrease and often resolve completely.
If your brain can learn pain, it can unlearn pain.
About 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from chronic pain, but many do not have to. Recent neuroscience breakthroughs show that most chronic pain results from the brain misinterpreting safe messages from the body as if they were dangerous. Research has found that the brain has the power to generate pain even in the absence of physical damage.
Chronic pain coaching at prehab can consist of the following:
Education of the process of pain, whilst validating your experience of pain. All pain is real. Many people have been repeatedly told that their pain is ‘all in their head’. Understanding that all pain is real, distressing and impacts every part of your life is central to this system.
Education of neuro-circuits and how they may be contributing to your pain.
Using somatic tracking, mindful awareness and the use of the breath to alter the relationship to your pain.
Mindfulness and self regulation exercises.
Creating a positive mood and the expectation of relief.
Education about the role of emotions, with exercises to identify and express emotions in a safe and healthy way.
Creating movement in your body, in a way that your body will accept as safe, gradual and nourishing for your neurological system.
How can chronic pain coaching help me?
What conditions may chronic pain coaching help with?
The brain creates all of our experiences
Chronic pain coaching may not be suitable for everyone, and it is important to have ruled out serious structural conditions from a qualified medical professional. Testing should cover a careful history, physical examinations and routine blood and imaging testing.
However, the following conditions have been shown to be very responsive to pain retraining:
Fibromyalgia
Head pain syndromes such as tension headache and migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, occipital neuralgia, daily persistent headaches and cluster headaches.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
Chronic pelvic pain conditions such as vulvodynia, pudendal neuralgia and vestibulitis, interstitial cystitis and chronic prostatitis and testicular pain.
Chronic neck and back pain
Some nerve pain conditions
Restless leg syndrome
Tinnitus