Pain, Is It All In Your Head?

The short answer, yes, pain is all in your head. To be more specific it’s in your brain but let’s dive deeper into this as pain is something that we all experience from time to time and having a greater understanding of this sensation can lead to less of it.

Pain is a sense just like any other sense in your body such as touch, sight, and smell and its purpose is to let your brain know what is happening in the environment around it. To be more precise the purpose of pain is to help protect you by stopping you from doing things that may be dangerous or damaging to your body (pretty smart huh). Pain lets your body know when damage is occurring OR when damage is about to occur

However… when the pain has been present for more than 3 months it is no longer considered protective and this is referred to as chronic pain. The old kiwi saying ‘she’ll be right’ isn’t so true when it comes to chronic pain as 1 in 6 kiwis live with it. This can range from mild to severe symptoms and is a significant contributor to people missing work. Symptoms may include headaches, neck pain, back pain, tendonitis, joint pains affecting the hips, knees, ankles, wrist, elbows to name a few. All of which is created in your brain!

Now, this is not to say that your pain is not real, it is VERY real and this is where things get interesting. Two people may be experiencing the same (chronic) pain but it may have two very different causes. It is important to understand what was happening at the time your pain started, for example, were you extremely stressed, eating poorly, avoiding exercise, or neglecting sleep all factors which can contribute.

 Often the best way to combat chronic pain is movement. Whether that be a light walk, swimming, yoga, or light gym work. Getting your body and more specifically your spine moving is crucial! This is also where chiropractic comes into the picture. Because chiropractic focuses on restoring proper function and movement to the spine and nervous system this can aid in switching off the areas in your brain causing pain.

So if you or someone you know is experiencing chronic pain remember to eat well, sleep well, move well, and check in with your local chiropractor to get your spine adjusted. 

Reference:

Health Navigator, New Zealand. (2020, October 2). Chronic pain. https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/c/chronic-pain/