It’s probably the last question people ask themselves before they show up for physiotherapy and the first question they ask their therapist. Most of us accept that when we hurt ourselves, we will experience pain. But what about the person that gets injured and is still experiencing pain three or four months later? This is much more complicated.
In order to answer the question we first need to know what the purpose of pain is. Contrary to popular belief, pain is not just to inform you of physical injury. This is only the first role of pain. After 48 hours and certainly after two months, pain becomes something different. A more accurate definition is this: pain is an individual response to a perceived threat, real or imagined (NOI Group). This five minute illustrated video is a good overview of what pain is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3phB93rvI
After watching this video you can see why it comes as no surprise that a lot of what we treat at Avenue Physiotherapy involves the elimination of persistent pain. But as the video points out, having chronic pain is not all doom and gloom. And here comes the biggest word in this blog: neuroplasticity. We could write volumes on this exciting field of science but it can be summarized very simply as the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections. It is this adaptability that allows us to overcome even long-standing pain. Numerous research articles support this concept by using education and physiotherapy to promote neuroplasticity.
So in summary, perhaps your pain won’t go away because you don’t know how to reorganize your brain. This may sound funny, but it’s actually a very real and complicated process. Treatment involves a combination of exercise, manual therapy and loads of education. At Avenue Physiotherapy we have seen hundreds of cases of persistent and chronic pain. Let our experience help you work through your painful condition by booking an appointment with us today.