Tame the Beast: What is Chronic Pain

September is Pain Awareness Month

We want to help you take control of your pain, chronic or acute. Over the next month, we will have a series of blogs that will teach you more about what is going on in your body and how physical therapy can help you "Tame the Beast".

What is Pain?

The International Association for the Study of Pain has defined pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage." This means that pain can come from an actual injury (bone, muscle, tissue) or from our body thinking there is a threat to injury. People can experience real pain, from an actual damaged tissue, or from our body perceiving a threat. 

Physical Therapists are experts in the management of pain. Our job is to discover why a person is feeling discomfort and getting that person the care they need. Over the years, our understanding of how and why pain exists has changed.

A New Understanding of Pain

Here we have linked a great video called “Tame the Beast – It’s time to rethink persistent pain” by Professor Lorimer Moseley that helps to explain how pain works, as well as approaches to help reduce your pain. I highly recommend that you check it out to get a visual understanding of what our bodies are going through. It is important to understand so that you can take back control. Here is a quick explanation. 

Pain can occur because of an injury to the bodies tissue, but it is also a warning signal to alert and protect us from potential injury. Feeling pain does not necessarily mean physical injury has occurred.

Over the years we have learned that injury-warning pain signals that the body produces can increase or decrease based on situations. For example, if a bear is chasing you and you sprain your ankle, you might not notice till you are safe because your brain is trying to help you survive. The brain can rank the importance of warning signals. This has led scientists to the conclusion that the pain sensation is triggered by the brain.

Every individual is unique. Different life experiences, psychological histories, environments, and social structures can influence a person's pain experience. 

How does this affect Physical Therapy

Your physical therapist is trying to help decrease pain. In the past, the goal was to heal damaged tissue, But with most people experiencing chronic pain, the initial tissue may have already healed. Now we know there is more to treating the individual than just fixing the tissue. We look at the whole person to see what is triggering the pain response and look at a "brain and body" approach. If you are not sure you have chronic pain, here is what you may feel:

Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Pain

• Pain that lasts longer than 3 months
• Current pain that is not the result of tissue damage or injury
• Widespread pain
• Unpredictable pain, not always releated to a specific motion or activity
• Hypersensitivity to even the "slightest" pain triggers
• Pain connected with other factors such as depression, fear, or anxiety

Your physical therapist is trained to help determine if you are experiencing chronic pain and if physical therapy is right for you. If they think that you might need further imaging to rule out any other underlying medical condition that is leading to your pain, they will refer you to the appropriate medical professional.

If you think that you may be experiencing chronic pain and want to try to “Tame the Beast”, call your local physical therapist to create a personalized plan to take back control. If you are local in Virginia to the Falls Church, Arlington, or Annandale region, give us a call to set up your appointment!

About The Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association

Founded in 1956, the Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association champions the success of physical therapist-owned businesses. Our members are leaders and innovators in the healthcare system. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) represents more than 85,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy nationwide. For more information, please visit www.ppsapta.org.

References

1. https://www.iasp-pain.org/publications/relief-news/article/definition-pain/

2. https://www.choosept.com/guide/physical-therapy-guide-pain

Author

Alana Hamilton Alana Hamilton is a physical therapist at Advantage Physical Therapy in Falls Church, Virginia. She is a proud Hokie from Virginia Tech with a major in Biology and a minor in psychology and sociology. Following graduation, she immediately got her doctorate in Physical Therapy from Radford University. She is an avid fan of Pilates, running, and hiking. On the weekends, she can be found hanging out with her family and baby as well as doing Spartan races with her old physical therapy classmates and friends. She is a big believer that during rehabilitation, "Motion is the Lotion" and that staying active is key to remaining healthy.