Pain and the Brain: How the Brain Affects the Pain We Feel

Ever wonder why you continue to feel pain for many months or years? Are you one of the 25.3 million

adults that suffer from daily pain?1 The following information may be helpful in explaining why your

pain continues to persist.

What we know about pain and the brain:2

Pain is normal and essential to survival

Pain comes from the brain

When an event occurs, the brain is responsible

for evaluating the situation and deciding if pain

should be produced or not

Pain can be present even after an injury has

healed, but can also be present even without an

injury

Pain is impacted by life. Relationships, home life, work life, temperature and other various life

stressors all contribute to pain (can improve or worsen pain)

Persistent pain is often present due to a sensitive nervous system

Persistent pain changes the way the brain processes pain, leading to the production of more

“danger messages”. The brain may begin to interpret messages as pain from something as

benign as a light touch

What we can do to help reduce persistent pain:

Learn more about pain:3 Research has demonstrated that the

more we know about pain, the less pain and disability we may

have

Stay Active:4 Low to moderate levels of cardiovascular

exercise and strength training are known to be helpful in

reducing persistent pain

“Retrain” the Brain:5 Discriminating right and left images,

imagining movements and mirror therapy have all been

demonstrated to be helpful in improving the “roadmap” of the

brain and thereby reducing persistent pain

Try new things:6 Performing painful or scary activities in a slow and gradual manner may help

reduce pain, fear and disability

Interested in learning more about specific treatment options available for you? Talk to your

physical therapist, occupational therapist or health psychologist for more information.

*References*

1. Louw, Adriaan, Emilio J. Puentedura, Kory Zimney, and Stephen Schmidt. "Know Pain, Know

Gain? A Perspective on Pain Neuroscience Education in Physical Therapy." J Orthop Sports

Phys Ther Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 46.3 (2016): 131-34. Web.

2. Adriaan Louw. Why You Hurt. Louisville, KY: Adriaan Louw, 2014. Print.

3. Louw, Adriaan, Ina Diener, David S. Butler, and Emilio J. Puentedura. "The Effect of

Neuroscience Education on Pain, Disability, Anxiety, and Stress in Chronic Musculoskeletal

Pain." Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 92.12 (2011): 2041-056. Web.

4. Ambrose, Kirsten R., and Yvonne M. Golightly. "Physical Exercise as Non-pharmacological

Treatment of Chronic Pain: Why and When." Best Practice & Research Clinical

Rheumatology 29.1 (2015): 120-30. Web.

5. Daffada, P.j., N. Walsh, C.s. Mccabe, and S. Palmer. "The Impact of Cortical Remapping

Interventions on Pain and Disability in Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic

Review." Physiotherapy 101.1 (2015): 25-33. Web.

6. George, Steven Z., and Giorgio Zeppieri. "Physical Therapy Utilization of Graded Exposure for

Patients With Low Back Pain." J Orthop Sports Phys Ther Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports

Physical Therapy 39.7 (2009): 496-505. Web.

Your health care team may have given you this information as part of your care. If so, please use it and call if you have any questions. If this information was not given to you as part of your care, please check with your doctor. This is not medical advice. This is not to be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Because each person’s health needs are different, you should talk with your doctor or others on your health care team when using this information. If you have an emergency, please call 911. Copyright © 10/2016 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing HF#7934.