Dealing with Chronic Pain

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The brain can learn pain and produce it in the absence of injury or danger.

The brain can be re-trained to produce less pain.

Mental training strategies grounded in pain neuroscience can play a key role in a holistic pain recovery plan.

Pain is never all in your head — but you can re-train a hypersensitive nervous system.

A significant number of people experience pain that persists after an injury or surgery. When your medical team has told you that your injuries have healed, experiencing chronic pain can feel scary, frustrating, and confusing. It can be hard to find clear answers to the question: "Why do I still hurt, and what can I do about it?"

As I detail in my new book, Train Your Brain to Beat Chronic Pain, pain scientists’ understanding of chronic pain has evolved rapidly in recent decades, and new knowledge about the neuroscience of pain and pain recovery is only slowly reaching the public. This article unpacks key findings for people living with pain to consider as they navigate their own unique pain recovery journey. Of course, before embarking on any new treatments, consult your care team for personalized guidance.

Neuroplasticity and Pain

Believe it or not, the nervous system can “learn” pain. Just like you ride a bike without thinking about it after having done it for years, your nervous system can get really good at making pain. When you were injured, your brain produced a pain experience to motivate you to deal with your injury. Although it was unpleasant, pain was helpful to you. However, somewhere along the way, your pain “alarm” alerting you to threats became faulty. It became too sensitive.

How does this happen? Surprising though it may sound, all pain — even acute pain — is ultimately produced by the brain. That doesn’t mean that pain is “all in your head” — all pain is always real. But when you look at the brain’s role, you can unlock new avenues to treat your pain problem; you can re-train the brain.

Your brain........

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