The Pain PT News

Worrying intensity predicts the number of somatic complaints

A lot of the people I work with have an increased tendency to worry, whether it's about their symptoms or about things in life. Worry by itself can cause more somatic symptoms. I've linked a study below…

Let it Be: Mindful Acceptance Reduces Pain and Emotion

This study from 2020 https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/14/11/1147/5716281 shows how the role of accepting pain and negative emotions reduces the intensity of both these things. One of the primary…

Stress Axis in Brain and Nervous System Induce Chronic Pain

A review study here highlighting how a stressed out brain and nervous system create chronification of pain. The HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal) axis in the brain (limbic brain) influences changes…

Sympathetic Nervous System Dysfunction in Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, & Interstitial Cystitis

Continuing on the theme that most chronic disease is caused by an overactive sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze) nervous system and an inability to turn on and keep on the parasympathetic (rest, digest,…

People with Chronic Pain Aren’t Activating the Rest, Digest, and Relax Nervous System

We have clear evidence from heart rate variability studies that people with chronic pain are in the fight, flight or freeze autonomic nervous system state (sympathetic state) and have a hard time activating…

Screening of New Film ‘This Might Hurt’

Wanted to share the new film called 'This Might Hurt'. My colleague and fellow PT Georgie Oldfield is showing a screening of this new film this weekend. I've included her invite below. I’m reaching…

A Way to Turn down your Amydala to Turn down your Pain

One of the things that has consistently been popping up in the brain MRI research is the role of the amygdala in chronic pain and anxiety disorders. The amygdala is the center of negative emotions and…

Emotional Awareness & Expression Therapy for Chronic Pain

The definition of pain is: "A sensory and emotional experience..." as defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). Emotions are a part of pain. Not many healthcare practitioners…

The Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Chronic Pain

The prefrontal cortex is a part of our brain that controls what's called 'higher executive functioning'. This is the cognitive area of the brain that houses our conscious perception and decision making…

The Need to Treat the Mind with the Body

As a PT (physio) I realized a long time ago that we are not just mechanical bodies cut off from the mind at the neck, but that in fact, our brains and nervous systems have a greater impact on our bodies…

Feeling Safe, Feeling Well 8 Week Course- Sign Up!

Psychotherapist Julie Markowitz and myself Jim Prussack PT are teaming up to offer a 8 week course on healing chronic pain and other chronic health ailments starting in January 2021. The course is titled:…

Links between Emotional Repression and Inflammatory Rheumatisms

2019 study article looking at emotional repression and chronic inflammatory rheumatisms (CIR) ( rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis). It also highlights how adverse childhood experiences increase…

How the Brain Leads to Chronic Pain

One of the interesting things with recent fMRI imaging studies of the brain is that we can see what's happening in the brain when there is pain. This study on acute pain also sheds light on the transition…

Is Lumbar Fusion Appropriate for Chronic Low Back Pain?

New research article titled: "Is lumbar fusion necessary for chronic low back pain associated with degenerative disc disease? A meta-analysis."  The short answer is "NO". The researchers came to this…

What Causes Pain To Become Chronic?

New study November 2020 that looked at 375 women coming to an inner city emergency department for acute pain.  They followed these people for 3 months. 162 people still had pain at the end of 3 months…

Changes in the Brain Predict Chronic Low Back Pain a Year Later

This is one of those research articles I refer to often. It's titled: 'Predicting transition to chronic pain'. What is so interesting about this research is they did brain scans at the time of an acute…

Abnormal Amygdala Connections With Chronic Pain

The Amygdala is known as the emotional center of the brain. It has been implicated in anxiety and depression and now studies are clearly showing it is implicated with chronic pain. This study showed exactly…

What Happens in the Brain with Pain Catastrophizing?

Pain Catastrophizing is a 'tendency to magnify and ruminate about pain and having a helpless attitude toward actual or anticipated pain.' Studies show that people who catastrophize about their pain have…

Mindfulness Changes Brain Centers Linked With Chronic Pain

Article titled: "The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Alters the Brain and Facilitates Emotion Regulation" Some of the same areas of the brain that become weak (prefrontal cortex, etc) or overactive…

The Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Chronic Pain

When looking at the brain's impact on chronic pain, we have to look to the prefrontal cortex. 2020 review of the research says: 'Its predominant role in aversive learning and memory puts the medial prefrontal…