Neuroplastic Pain
Neuroplastic pain is a false alarm
Neuroplastic pain is also known as Nociplastic pain
Both are forms of Chronic Primary Pain
Neuroplastic pain is when pain symptoms are caused by learned neural pathways in the brain that are not due to ongoing structural damage or disease in the body.
The brain misinterprets safe signals from the body, as if they are dangerous, and as a result produces neuroplastic pain or other medical unexplained symptoms.
In neuroplastic pain, the fear factor fuels the pain to be created, amplified, and maintained post normal healing time.
Long after an actual injury has healed, fear can trigger the learned neural networks associated with the past injury and generate neuroplastic pain.
The majority of chronic (persistent) pain is neuroplastic pain, which is a maladaptive learned phenomenon - it is an unhelpful habit of the brain, which can be unlearned.
There are four main ways that neuroplastic pain can begin to develop:
- An actual structural injury that has since healed
- Neuroplastic pain can begin with a structural injury
- The majority of physical injuries heal within a few weeks to a few months
- Neuroplastic pain can begin with a structural injury
General healing times are as follows:
- Skin healing 2 - 4 weeks
- Muscle healing 1-6 weeks
- Bone healing 4 - 8 weeks
- Tendon healing 8 - 10 weeks
- Ligament healing 12 - 16 weeks
- Spinal discs - 80% heal in 6 months
After an injury has healed the brain still maintains the neural pathways associated with pain. The fear factor fuels the pain to be amplified and maintained post normal healing time.
- A perceived injury or belief that something is structurally wrong with the body
- The fear factor fuels the pain to be created, amplified, and maintained
- The primary fear that people with chronic pain is that something must be structurally wrong with their body that is causing their pain or symptoms to occur
- The fear factor fuels the pain to be created, amplified, and maintained
- Any adverse, stressful, or traumatic experience from childhood onwards
- Any situation that can activate the danger circuits in our brain, which has the ability to create and maintain pain and other Psychophysiologic Disorder (PPD) symptoms.
- Any situation that can activate the danger circuits in our brain, which has the ability to create and maintain pain and other Psychophysiologic Disorder (PPD) symptoms.
- Insidious onset
- No definitive acute injury or perceived injury
- No obvious adverse, stressful, or traumatic experience from childhood onwards
- People with insidious neuroplastic pain commonly have the personality traits prone to self-criticism, worrying, and placing a lot of pressure on themselves
- They are conscientious, people pleasing, perfectionists, prone to anxiousness, with brains on high alert, that feel emotionally in danger
- When the brain feels emotionally in danger, it can trigger and maintain physical pain
- No definitive acute injury or perceived injury
What are the types of neuroplastic pain?
- Back pain
- Pelvic pain
- Vulvodynia
- Chronic abdominal pain
- Interstitial cystitis
- Irritable bladder syndrome
- Overactive bladder)
- Irritable bladder syndrome
- Neck pain
- Whiplash
- Knee pain
- Patellofemoral syndrome
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome
- Chronic tendonitis (in any joint)
- Piriformis syndrome
- Repetitive strain injury
- Foot pain syndromes
- Myofascial pain syndrome
- Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS)
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraines and Tension headaches
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
All of the above are forms of Chronic primary pain
Other symptoms or conditions that can be neuroplastic include:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- CFS
- Myalgic encephalitis
- ME
- CFS
- Paraesthesias
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Burning)
- Numbness
- Tinnitus
- Ringing in the ears
- Ringing in the ears
- Dizziness
- Persistent genital arousal disorders
- PGAD
- PGAD
- Chronic cough
- Spastic dysphonia
- Chronic hives
- Hypersensitivity syndromes
- To touch, sound, smells, foods, medications
- To touch, sound, smells, foods, medications
- Osteoarthritis
- Does not include rheumatoid conditions
- Does not include rheumatoid conditions
- Insomnia
- Paraesthesias
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Burning
- Numbness
- Tinnitus
- Ringing in the ears
- Ringing in the ears
- Dizziness
- Persistent genital arousal disorders
- PGAD
- PGAD
- Inappropriate sinus tachycardia
- Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
- Complex regional pain syndrom
- Complex regional pain syndrom
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Gastritis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- GERD
- GERD
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
- POTS
- POTS
What causes chronic pain?
- Chronic pain is any pain that has lasted a long time - pain that might or might not be associated with any injury, tissue damage or disease, or that may persist long after tissues heal, or any underlying disease is treated
- Usually 3 - 6 months
- Usually 3 - 6 months
- In chronic pain, changes occur in the way in which your nervous system interprets pain and other normal input or information
- This is because your nervous system is not hard wired but capable of constant change.
- This is because your nervous system is not hard wired but capable of constant change.
- This capacity to constantly change is known as neuroplasticity and sometimes these changes mean that your pain can become chronic and persistent, due not only to the neuroplasticity of your nervous system but other systems, including your immune and endocrine systems.
- These neuroplastic changes in your nervous system cause and contribute to your chronic pain.
How do I know if my pain is neuroplastic?
- Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between structural pain and neuroplastic pain.
Neuroplastic clues :
- Symptoms are not related to any identifiable confirmed organ disease or structural damage
- _organic cause_and as such fall into the category of medically unexplained symptoms and/or the treatments you've been offered have only provided partial and temporary relief
- _organic cause_and as such fall into the category of medically unexplained symptoms and/or the treatments you've been offered have only provided partial and temporary relief
- Despite experiencing different persistent and troublesome symptoms and consulting with multiple healthcare professionals, you haven't yet received a clear diagnosis
- You have been told you have multiple food allergies or sensitivities, but the treatment offered has either not worked or worsened your symptoms
- You have been told your symptoms may be stress related or all in your head.
Symptoms that: Symptoms that are inconsistent and: Symptoms that are triggered: or What is neuroplasticity? If, once you have had all treatable organic causes of your pain excluded and treated and your pain persists or gets worse, then it is worth considering whether your chronic pain is actually neuroplastic pain.
This is a condition I can help you with
I have recovered from neuroplastic pain myself and developed The Pain Recovery Program and White River Manor Pain Recovery Program as a result. I am skilled in the diagnostic assessment of these conditions.
If you would like to find out more about this subject, then please GetInTouch