How Pain Works:

• Prolonged pain puts the nervous system to a persistent state of high reactivity
• Over time, this may include heightened sensitivities across all the senses (lights, sounds, smells) and may also impact cognition (concentration, short-term memory)
• Regulation of the nervous system becomes very important to support pain management. 

Though it may not stop the pain entirely, the perception of pain can increase or decrease depending on influencing factors: 

Theories of How It Works

• The central nervous system opens and closes pain pathways
  • When open: the pain signal proceeds through increasing the perception of pain
  • When closed: the pain signal is blocked which helps decrease the perception of pain 
  • This means that the level of pain that is experienced can be influenced by the mind’s interpretation of the signal it receives  
  • Influencing factors that open pain pathways include:

• Emotions and attitudes 
• Prior experience with pain and memories of painful experiences 
• Stress and anxiety 

• The body makes natural chemical messengers that can decrease or increase the level of pain that is experienced by the body
  • Endorphins decrease the perception of pain
  • The body increases the production of endorphins during emotionally pleasurable activities which decreases the perception of pain (i.e., reading or listening to music)
  • Conversely, it is important to remember the perception of pain can increase when doing activities that are not enjoyable or cause stress.

Important To Remember

• Pain can cause:
  • Increased anxiety, stress, or feelings of sadness 
  • Poor sleep quality or fatigue 
  • Changes with eating patterns or decreased physical activity 

• Keep in mind that when these occur, the experience of pain can also increase even higher
  • For example: poor sleep or decreased physical activity can make the body feel more pain