“Find harmony in the noise,” says Einstein. In this article, let's explore the chronic pain system that we cannot hear or understand in the crowd of noise in our minds.
A young woman, in her early 30s, has neck and back pain that has not gone away for years, her shoulders are slumped, and she has purple eyes around her eyes. He walks through the door with a timid and sad facial expression, forming circles, and sits on the chair in front of me. When we start talking, after a few sentences it takes us to the sentence we are used to: “Will this pass?” He devoted 8 years to this search; He tried to survive every day with a different motivation, because he has children. Moreover, it has its own life.
Isn't that a familiar summary? The stories of people who renew their motivation to stay afloat every day due to chronic pain, who look for a solution and who want to say "I'm fine" are very similar to each other. In this article, we will talk about you a little and try to understand the pain that you approach with the feeling of "will I get rid of it?" Because we can only reach the solution by understanding.
What is vitality based on? One answer; Survive. All processes in the universe, ecosystem, plants, animals and our body operate on the principle of 'survive'. Pain is one of the stimulating processes that remind us to survive. “Watch out here.”, “Don't go there.” says. However, defining pain merely as a defense mechanism may not be sufficient. Because pain only occurs in case of danger: "I'm here!" It is not a system that says.
A small question: Do you notice that your arm or leg gets bruised or scratched when you accidentally hit something? “Yes” I answered. Well, there is tissue damage here, but why did you not feel any pain at that moment? Be ready; Becausepain does not mean that there is tissue damage, and tissue damage does not necessitate pain.Sometimes the brain draws more attention to a place or a region and concentrates. Sometimes the pain system becomes extra sensitive. Our alarms activate more quickly. This does not mean that there is a problem with that tissue. So, if you have neck pain that hasn't gone away for years; There is a problem where there is pain, it does not mean that something is wrong.
What I know Are we slowly starting to question ourselves? Let's release the seeds of doubt into our minds a little more.
Pain is produced by the brain. This is an infallible fact. However, this means "It all ends in the brain.", "You will end it in the head.", "Just say there is no pain and forget about it." It means never! Yes, pain is produced in the brain; But how and in what way is it produced, how is its intensity and intensity determined, and how is the perception it creates in the person formed? If we both have back pain, do we both experience the same pain?
Science, changing and transforming; Since it is a self-renewing discipline, there is also a change in our clinical perspective. The approach to pain has come to a completely different level with recent neuroscience studies; Whereas in the past there was a prevailing view that it was caused by external stimuli, we now look at it brain-focused.
Pain is produced and managed by a set of connections in the brain called the Pain Matrix. To make it more clear and concrete, let's represent it as follows: A country map formed by all the roads connecting the centers within a city and ultimately connecting the cities to each other. This map represents the pain matrix. Can you imagine how many roads-connections there are? Here, pain is a perfect network in which many regions are involved, have a say, and add a piece of themselves, even though certain brain regions are considered pioneers. In other words, pain is a completely personal experience. For example, your body may produce pain in any situation that reminds you of the feeling you experienced during a loss in your past, or if it is triggered by a feeling of fear, your body may produce pain again with the desire to protect itself. Even a smell or a sound can create a response depending on how your network is shaped. For example, the pain of the person I mentioned in the introduction became chronic, increasing day by day in his young body due to the feeling of loneliness he experienced after an imminent death. Another patient with chronic back pain detailed that when he smells a specific perfume, it plays a triggering role.
You live in daily life; You smell a smell and that smell teleports you to an event or a person. Or being around a specific person! Sounds interesting, right? However, one person in particular We have patients who state that they feel comfortable when they get into the pain cycle when they are with him and move away. Pain is a sensation, and since our sensory system is in common connection with the emotional system, sensations and feelings can create an unconscious response in our body. Accordingly, our body may feel threatened. We should also point out that the following conclusion should not be drawn from all we have said; The brain does not create pain simply emotionally or in response to trauma. When it receives an unsafe stimulus regarding body alignment, the brain can give the command "protect". The limitation of movement and spasms we witness should also be viewed from this perspective.
This is a personal situation; It is very valuable as it teaches us the factors we need to consider in the evaluation and treatment journeys of people who apply to us. It also offers golden tips on learning pain management, how to direct a person's pain and what to do.
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