When living with chronic pain, over time, the brain becomes hypersensitive to pain signals, which increases pain. Pain is a danger signal. When something happens, such as touching a hot surface or twisting your ankle, nerve endings in the body send a signal to your brain, and the brain interprets this signal as pain. In this way, all pain is regulated by the brain.

Danger signals are a good thing. They keep us safe, particularly if there is an acute event, like falling and breaking an arm. However, the brain isn’t always accurate, and at times, it can interpret a neutral or safe signal as threatening, and therefore painful, even when there is no threat or danger present. The pain you feel is very real, but the danger may not be.

Pain is not always the result of structural damage in the body;........

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