Understanding Pain

Nearly everybody feels pain at some point in their lives, it is the most effective warning system we have to alert us to danger or potential danger to our bodies. It is so effective that it can make us think of nothing else, it can change the way we think, move and behave. Believe it or not, all of these responses are vital in helping us stay alive and heal damaged body parts.

Our individual experiences of pain are made up of many contributing factors, the combination of which is unique to each and every one of us. These influence how strongly we feel pain, how long it lasts and how it makes us feel emotionally. The amount of pain we feel is not always a direct representation of how much damage there is in our bodies, we can experience a lot of pain when there is little or no damage, or conversely feel very little pain when there is more damage.

There are a lot of myths and fear around back and neck pain, a lot of these can make you anxious that something serious is going on with your body. Anxiety will increase the severity of the pain you experience and in doing so cause you more concern which in turn amplifies the pain more. A vital part of your consultation with me will be exploring the most important factors influencing your pain. Coming to understand your condition will change the way you think about it which should reduce your anxiety and worry. Anxiety and fear are major factors that turn up the volume of your pain, by getting these under control you can start to influence how it feels.

Hopefully after reading this you are starting to feel better already! Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to know more.