Pegasus Post: February 14, 2017

PEGASUS POST Tuesday February 14 2017 17
When good pain goes bad
Without pain we would not live very long, pain alerts us to
tissue damage, it makes us hypervigilant, looking after the part
to prevent further damage and allowing repair and healing. For
example limping after rolling an ankle takes load off that part.
The understanding of how pain works
has improved hugely over the last few
years. Up until the 1970’s a relatively
simple Cartesian model of pain persisted
where, it was thought, pain receptors in
the skin sent messages to a pain centre in
the brain which resulted in some action
to avoid further damage. However this
did not explain how some people could
experience pain long after the tissues had
healed or the body part was absent after
amputation.
It is now known that pain is a product
of our brain and spinal cord, not of tissue
damage, nerves merely carry messages
regarding the state of our tissues to the
brain which decides if those signals are
something to worry about or not.
Whether or not something feels painful
or not depends on many factors not just
tissue damage, sometimes our pain can
outlast the healing of the injury or feel
worse than it should for the degree of
harm done to the body.
Through various mechanisms our brain
can turn the pain up or down. If we are
fearful of the what may be causing the pain
it will be worse, for example “my mother
had a pain just like this and she had
cancer” or “I wont be able to keep doing
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my job – I’ll be unemployed and I’ve got
a big mortage”. Work issues, if you were
have a dispute with the boss or are being
bullied by a work mate, if a pain prevents
this from happening the painful sensation
will be greater. Stress in general from all
sources, earthquake repairs, family issues,
money worries will all heighten pain
levels.
In emergency situations getting out of
fire, shifting debris off someone after an
earthquake and so on our personal pain
will be turned down by our brain where
survival is the main issue. To a lesser
extend injuries received playing sport
won’t hurt until the game is over – “I
remember getting a bit of a bump but it
didn’t hurt at the time”.
It is usually because of pain that we seek
treatment – it is your brain telling you
to get it sorted. Effective treatment of a
painful injury also requires explanation /
education about how pain works and how
best to manage it.
Richard and Wendy at Physiotherapy
Associates, 86a Wainoni Road, can help
you deal with painful injuries and their
consequences. For more information
or to make an appointment phone
03 389 7196.
Sports Injury?
Specialising
in Injury
Rehabilitation
$5 discount for
SuperGold Card holders
Physiotherapy Associates
Finding Solutions
ACC Contracted Provider
Ph/Fax 03 389 7196 86A Wainoni Rd
Email: physioassoc@clear.net.nz www.physioA.co.nz
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