Pain Explained
All of us have jammed our toe when walking around barefoot or hit our knee against a bench and danced around in subsequent pain. But have you ever wondered where pain comes from? Or, why relatively small injuries can be much more painful than seemingly more severe ones are?
The production of pain is actually a very complex process occurring in our brains. Our brains are continuously evaluating and processing information from many sources. They receive sensory input from our bodies and then compile the “messages” with other information, including previous experiences, environments, and expectations about the consequences of the pain. Thus, pain “output”, or the amount of pain that you feel, is not necessarily indicative of the amount of tissue damage that has occurred.
Two leaders in pain science are Dr. Lorimer Moseley and Dr. David Butler. Both are physical therapists whose research is changing how clinicians treat pain. Two of their books, Explain Pain and Painful Yarns, are incredible resources for understanding the complexity of pain. These books are extremely entertaining and readable. We have both of these books in our office and invite you to come look them over and ask us any questions they might spark.
If you are interested in more, follow this link to Dr. Moseley’s Blog and video interview regarding his book, Painful Yarns. http://bodyinmind.com.au/books/
By Tiffany Coletta
