The Pain PT Blog

Autonomic Nervous System Implications with Pain

One of the biggest things with chronic pain that is not looked at enough is autonomic nervous system dysregulation. This means the fight or flight stressed out sympathetic nervous system is usually in…
The Pain PT Blog

Fear is the Fuel that Keeps the Chronic Pain Alive

New paper just out looking at fear and its relationship to pain. Fear is the fuel for continued pain. Many times when we can cut out the fuel source we can cut out the pain. One of the keys is to learn…
The Pain PT Blog

The Role of the Brain in Osteoarthritis is Bigger than You Think

Wanted to share two review studies that really show why I target the brain directly when treating chronic conditions- in this case Osteoarthritis. Both articles here are systematic review studies, which…
The Pain PT Blog

Turning off the Amygdala Turns Off Pain

This new study really supports the approach I have here at The Pain PT- which is targeting the brain and nervous system for chronic pain relief. One of the biggest things I talk about is getting the limbic…
The Pain PT Blog

Forgiveness Can Shift Your Brain and Your Pain

One of the things I teach with people in chronic pain is forgiveness- of others, of past hurts, and most importantly yourself and your symptoms. We have research showing how forgiveness leads to positive…
The Pain PT Blog

Improve Your Chronic Pain By Doing the Very Things That Cause Your Pain

One of the principles I use with treating chronic pain is exposure therapy. This involves doing the very things that cause pain. If we can learn to do these things from a different mental perspective (move…
The Pain PT Blog

How Does Self-Efficacy Affect Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain?

Self-efficacy is your belief in your own abilities to deal with various situations. Wanted to share a Journal of Pain 2018 review study that compiled data from 27 previous studies on self-efficacy and…
The Pain PT Blog

The Nocebo and its Effects on Your Health

I see the Nocebo effect in so many of my chronic pain and chronic health patients. It's not talked about as much as it should, even though we have solid research it plays a big part in health symptoms.…
The Pain PT Blog

More On The Power of Beliefs

I have never forgotten a quote I read years ago that said: 'What you believe is what your life will be.' I wanted to share this study from Stanford which shows how beliefs directly impact physiology.…
The Pain PT Blog

Beliefs Are Numero Uno for Changing Your Brain

Nice summary in link below by Dr. Siegel from Harvard about the power of the placebo. What is the placebo: Your beliefs. With chronic pain that doesn't go away, we know the brain has been shown to be a…