What is Chronic Pain?

This video explains how and why we feel pain and how these four major parts of our brain process the pain we feel.

Thank you to the Sheikh Zayed Institute for allowing us to host this video on our YouTube channel.

This video is provided for general information only. It does not replace a diagnosis or medical advice from a healthcare professional who has examined your child and understands their unique needs. Please speak with your doctor to check if the content is suitable for your situation.

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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
It's here all the time. It hurts - a lot. It keeps you from everything and everyone you love. It seems too big to conquer. Or is it?

For many years we believe pain worked like this: You have nerves all over your body. At the end of the nerves are receptors, which tell us how to react to pain. When something harmful happens, a pain receptor catches a signal then sends it through the nerves fibers, up the spinal cord and to the brain. The brain reads the signal as pain and reacts.

We thought it was that simple, now we know that's not the whole story. The signal goes into the receptor through nerve fibers, up the spinal cord and to the brain and we need a  brain to feel pain. But there's more.

Pain can last long after the injury is healed. You see, there are four major parts of the brain that deal with pain. There's a control center in your brain, it gets the message first. It then sends the message out to three other areas. One detects the pain of the body. One decides how to feel about the pain. And one decides what to do about the pain. But wait - there's even more.

Now we know pain signals don't just zip up the spinal cord, they first have to pass through what we call the nerve gate. When the gate is open, pain signals go through. The wider the gate is open, the more pain we feel. The more closed the gate, the less pay you feel.

Through studying pain, we know what keeps the gate open. Discouraging thoughts about your pain or believing the worst about your pain, and stressful feelings caused by these thoughts, which then affect your mood.
'I'll never live a normal life again.'

Now, what keeps the gate closed and helps you cope with your pain? Other nerves and hormones can send painkiller signals to the brain. They create encouraging thoughts and feelings that overpower the bad ones. Let's see this in action. This is your nerve gate on a good feeling - love.
'I'm so sorry.'
'I didn't feel a thing.'

This is your nerve gate on a not-so-good feeling - being dumped. 'Goodbye.'
'You're dumping me? Oh! and you broke my toe. I'll never dance again. My life is over!'

Yes, your brain has a lot to do with your pain and managing it. And do you know what that means? You, yes you, can control your pain. You can do it. You can do so much. You can think so much to rewire your brain and change your life. It just takes time, practice and persistence.

#Pain #ChronicPain