Everyone knows about pain, right? Well, did you know that being educated about pain may mean you need less care for it. Sounds strange but it’s true.
How can that be?
Well a large study of military members who had only 45 minutes of education about pain sought out a doctor for low back pain at a lower rate than those who don’t. Why would that be? Well, knowing what pain needs attention versus a typical ache can mean less time spent at the doctor for no reason. It can also mean you know when you really do need to go get something looked at.
Phantom pain
Did you know that our brains can make you feel pain where it can’t possibly exist? It’s called phantom pain and people who have had a limb removed can say they feel pain in an arm or leg that isn’t there any longer or is a prosthetic. Sounds weird, but when you spend years or decades knowing an arm or leg is there and then suddenly it isn’t it takes time to get adjusted.
Serious or severe pain
Have you ever been in serious or severe pain and been unable to tell your right side from your left? Sometimes when pain is severe or persistent the way the brain communicates that helps you tell left from right can be disrupted. It can mean your sense of direction is off a bit. Think about it this way, the brain has a “map” of nerves that it relies on to tell you what’s what. When pain is severe or continual that map can be unclear. If it was an actual map, you’d have trouble reading it, same in this situation.
Did you know that “pain tolerance” isn’t actually measurable?
There is no scientific way to measure how well someone can tolerate pain. Yes, science can measure how much pressure you can take before it becomes pain, but it can’t say what your pain feels like. That is something that is different from person to person.
If you are in pain, please schedule a FREE Pain Consultation today!
