Everyone agrees that pain is a universal human experience. We now know that pain is 100% generated by the brain. This includes all pain – no matter how it feels. Regardless of the intensity of your pain, or how long you have had it, the brain is what generates pain.
Pain which is experienced for a few weeks or months we call acute pain. Acute pain is common with tissue damage such as with an ankle sprain or a back injury. Gradually getting back to movement and exercise is encouraged. Myotherapy can play an key role with rehabilitation from acute pain.
Pain which is experienced for three months or more is called chronic pain. In chronic pain – tissue damage is NOT the main issue. In Australia 1 in 5 people have chronic pain – and it is less clear as to what to do about it. Often in chronic pain cases the tissue damage has healed an yet the brain is still firing pain messages. This means the individual still experiences pain long after the tissue damage has healed.
Based on the work of Professor Lorimer Mosely, this explainer video outlines the mechanisms of chronic pain, an overview of current thinking in pain science; and the role the brain plays in your experience of pain.
