[vc_row full_width=”0″ full_height=”0″ particles=”0″][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Pain puzzle approach involves looking at many pieces in the puzzle that may have led to your pain experience. The aim is to try and make sense of why you are experiencing pain and together plan ways of changing your pain experience back to living well.<\/p>\n
It is very likely that we still don’t have all the pieces in place for understanding pain but it is still possible to make a big impact on people’s well-being with improving some of these factors.<\/p>\n
There is never just one key to solving pain, there will usually be several of these factors that need to be addressed to gain improvement.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
Having back pain very rarely means you are damaged or it is something serious, therefore it is really important that we engage with the things that are most likely to be related to your pain \u2026 like you are under stress, you are not sleeping well, your mood, or you are not active and that can trigger a pain event. We know those factors are commonly linked to a flare up of back pain.<\/p>\n
Professor Peter O\u2019Sullivan<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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What’s the problem?
\n<\/strong><\/h5>\nSometimes physical pain arises from a strain from an awkward movement or overloading a muscle or joint. There are known healing time frames for muscles, joints and ligaments of up to 6 weeks, depending on the injury. When pain extends beyond these healing times we know that the pain is not simply coming from the injured tissue, your body will have healed the injury.<\/p>\n
Ongoing physical pain
\n<\/strong><\/h5>\nWhen pain extends beyond normal healing time frames it is usually because the body is continuing to protect the area. This is often described as sensitisation. A simplified explanation is to think of the pain as an over-sensitive alarm. The body continues to protect itself from harm and if there is any threat of danger to that area from increased pressure through the joints, awkward movements, pressure on the area a pain signal is triggered to tell your body to protect that area. The alarm keeps sounding to protect the area, even though there is very little threat of\u00a0 actual harm, so you experience ongoing pain with movement and activity. There are many different ways of describing this mechanism, you will understand it best when we can tailor the explanation to your story and your pain.<\/p>\n
What’s the Pain Puzzle solution?
\n<\/strong><\/h5>\nAssessment of your problem will help to identify what may have happened and the stage of healing you may be in. Treatment and advice may help to speed the healing process helping you to return to normal activities.<\/p>\n
For people experiencing sensitisaton we can try to explain the pain by piecing together the story of your pain experience to try and make sense of why your body has become sensitised. To reduce sensitisation hands on treatment and exposure to movement and activity can be helpful.<\/p>\n
With all pain conditions it is important to take into other factors as described in the Pain Puzzle approach to help you to return to living well.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″]\n\n