Chronic pain may provoke emotional reactions, such as fear or even dread, depending on what we believe concerning the pain signals. In other instances (like in sports or some other engaging, rewarding activity), chronic pain may be viewed as only a nuisance, a sense to be overcome in order to have the ability to continue from the action.
The important role the mind plays in chronic pain is clearly recognized in medical literature, as well as in the International Association for the Study of Pain’s definition of pain, which claims that pain is always subjective and is characterized by the person who experiences it. The corollary is that the brain may also know how to manage the sensation of pain. Using the brain to control pain, or coping strategies, for managing pain, may be used alone or in conjunction with pain management therapies to help ease the symptoms of chronic pain.
Healthcare professionals who specialize in treating chronic pain have realized that this condition is not only a feeling or sensation, such as touch or vision, but rather, pain can be influenced by the ways the brain processes pain signals. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.