Therapy for Chronic Pain
Are you experiencing pain that interferes with your mental health, daily activities, and relationships with others and yourself? Are you avoiding activities that you used to enjoy and feeling an overall sense of helplessness? Do you feel like you are trapped in a battle with your pain? Therapy could be an option to help you better manage the thoughts and emotions associated with your pain, along with its impact on your life. You don’t have to feel alone with your pain. Rebound Total Health is here to help treat your pain symptoms and rediscover a life worth living.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is pain that persists over a long period of time after an injury or illness. It is normally present beyond the three-months, but chronic pain can also last for many years. Chronic pain may come and go, or it may be constant. It can hinder a person’s daily activities and contributes to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Chronic pain can appear in many forms such as arthritis, back pain, migraines, neck pain, and muscular pain occurring throughout the body. Chronic pain is not rare, many individuals experience it sometime throughout their life.
Studies have shown that many forms of chronic pain are not actually a result of structural damage or systemic diseases, but are actually due to a rewiring of the brain and nervous system. This is called neuroplastic pain, and this occurs when our nervous systems are chronically dysregulated and the danger circuits in our brain become over-activated. Essentially, our brain misinterprets safe nerve signals from the body as dangerous, and creates pain as a way to protect us.
Chronic pain can be treated through a holistic approach that considers mind and body. A combination of cognitive, behavioral, somatic, and trauma-informed therapies and resources like massage therapy can be helpful to reduce chronic pain symptoms.
What are some symptoms of chronic pain?
Physical symptoms of chronic pain may include the following:
Back pain
Headaches or migraines
Nerve damage
Broken bones
Arthritis
Joint soreness
Inflammatory bowel disease
Surgery
Muscular pain, often fibromyalgia
Endometriosis
Pelvic pain
Neck Pain
Whiplash
IBS and other digestive issues
Patellofemoral syndrome
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome
Chronic tendonitis (in any joint)
Piriformis syndrome
Repetitive strain injury
Foot pain syndromes
Myofascial pain syndrome
Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS)
Fibromyalgia
Migraines and Tension headaches
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Other symptoms include:
· Depression
· Anxiety
· Irritability
· Poor sleep, leading to being worn-out
· Mood changes
· Decreased physical activity
· Stiffness
· Appetite changes
· Decrease in social interactions
· A hard time concentrating
· Lack of motivation
How Does Chronic Pain Impact Your Life?
A person experiencing chronic pain might be feeling exhausted, frustrated, anxious, and alone. People with chronic pain may spend a lot of mental energy trying to navigate how to manage their stress, find the right support, and stay positive. Finding the confidence to continue engaging in one’s social life may be challenging because chronic pain is not often noticed by others.
A person with chronic pain may worry about the future, feel grief for the life they used to live, and lose their overall sense of purpose. At Rebound Total Health, we provide a safe and non judgemental space for you to share your journey with chronic pain and get the support you need.
What are the Causes of Chronic Pain?
There are many reasons why you may be experiencing chronic pain, and you don’t have to try and figure it out alone. We are here to help you further understand the “why” behind your pain. Chronic pain can develop after an injury or trauma to the body has occurred. It can also be rooted from musculoskeletal conditions or nerve damage. Chronic pain can also be neuroplastic in nature, which is when the brain misinterprets safe signals from the body and creates pain as an alarm.
Certain factors can trigger and perpetuate this cycle of neuroplastic pain. These include nervous system dysregulation (being trapped in fight/flight/freeze), unresolved trauma, feeling unsafe in our environment, negative beliefs about our bodies, anxious and depressive symptoms, and responding to our pain with fear, worry, anxiety, frustration, grief, and/or anger.
Types of Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can appear in a wide range of different pains that impact a person's daily life and mental well-being. Below are some different forms of chronic pain.
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Neuroplastic pain is not caused by structural damage or systemic disease, but instead by learned neural pathways in the brain that have misinterpreted safe sensations as dangerous. Negative thoughts and emotions about the pain actually perpetuate and maintain the pain symptoms beyond the expected healing time. Think of a neuroplastic pain like an unhelpful habit of the brain that can be unlearned.
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This pain is caused by physical damage to the tissues. This often occurs due to trauma, sport injuries, and arthritis. Symptoms often include dull aching, cramping, and throbbing that ranges in discomfort.
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Pain often affects ligaments, muscles, bones, nerves, and tendons throughout the body. Many individuals experience back pain and myofascial pain. This is very common worldwide.
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This type of pain is long-term and slow, it can last months or years. The pain varies from causes of injury and how well the body is able to recover from the harm.
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Psychological, emotional, and behavioral elements affecting physical pain such as migraines or stomach pain. Due to this pain being psychological, pain can increase because of your emotional conditions.
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This pain is longer term and may require further diagnosis if it persists beyond four to six weeks. Common causes include herniated discs, vertebral fractures, and myofascial pain.
What are some strategies to support me?
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique
This technique is used to help bring your focus to the present moment, and out of your head!
Name 5 things you can see
Name 4 things you can feel
Name 3 things you can hear
Name 2 things you can smell
Name 1 thing you can taste
Pro Tip: Focus on the sensations & stimuli that you normally would NOT notice!
Gratitude Journaling
This technique is used to help change our mindset into one of gratitude by reflecting each day and focusing on the good.
Pro Tip: Print this template to try gratitude journaling using a week’s guide.
How Can We Help You Navigate Chronic Pain
Rebound Total Health is here to help you navigate the struggles that come with experiencing chronic pain. You are not alone, and when you feel ready, we are here to support you. At Rebound Total Health we can provide you therapeutic approaches, massage therapy, and many more services to help you along your journey. We also have therapists who have experienced chronic pain themselves, and can truly empathize with your challenges. If you want help with rediscovering a life that is meaningful, despite your struggles with chronic pain, do not hesitate to reach out to us at Rebound Total Health.
On the Bounce Back Blog
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The Power of Journaling
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Finding Stability in Uncertain Times: A Comprehensive Guide to Grounding Techniques in Counseling
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Chronic Pain: A New Road to Rediscover Your Love of Adventure