How does pain work?


Most patients that come to see me are in pain and do not know why or how it happened. Acute or chronic pain can be explained and there is a reason why your body is expressing pain. Pain is your body and brain telling you something is wrong. The cause may not even be in the area you are experiencing pain!

Long before pain starts your body gives signs.  You may experience stiffness or lack of movement in the area. You may have had a "twinge" or feel a "pull" which may be painful but it quickly goes away.  These are signs that something is going on and are all signs of inflammation in the body.  

So how does pain happen?

Our brain is always interpreting our environment and making sure we are not in danger.  If it thinks we are in danger it will protect any area that is stressed, strained or impaired.  

Pain involves more than a simple stimulus and response.  A great example is when you step on a rock.

Sensory nerves send signals to the brain letting it know you have pressure and the brain analyzes this information and then decides what signals it is going to send back.

Just removing your foot from a rock or pin will not do the trick. No matter how low the severity may be, soft tissue in the area need to heal.

Your brain figures out what is going on and make stores it in its brain’s memory so it learns and remembers!

Pain signals that go to the brain enter the thalamus which is responsible for relaying motor and sensory signals to the rest of the brain (cortex). It is also responsible for sleep and awareness.

The cortex then figures out where the pain came from and compares it to other kinds of pain it has encountered. Is it sharp pain? Was it more painful than other pain you have had?

The thalamus also sends signals to the limbic system which is responsible for our emotions. When we feel emotions our physical body responds. Our heart rate may increase, our eyes may begin to water, we may start to shake or sweat. This is all because we stepped on a rock in the past and had associated feelings with this incident.

So pain is not just a one time event but a process involving the brain with motor, sensory and memory.

This is why chiropractic is great for pain. When we perform our treatments, the muscle spindles attached to the spine and extremities send signals to the brain telling it that it is safe and moving correctly. It also tells the brain that any damaged tissue that is being worked on is in the process of healing. The brain then decreases pain signals and starts enhancing healing.

Here is a great video that explains how our brain perceives pain even if there is no tissue damage.

References:
https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-we-feel-pain-2564638

https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-the-Thalamus.aspx

https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain/brain-anatomy/limbic-system

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Hours in the mission district, San Francisco

Monday

8-12pm

Tuesday

Closed

Wednesday

3-6PM

Thursday

8-12PM

Friday

3-8PM

Saturday

8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Sunday

Closed

Hours in the mission district, San Francisco

Monday
8-12pm
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
3-6PM
Thursday
8-12PM
Friday
3-8PM
Saturday
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Sunday
Closed