Hypersensitive Nervous System

**version français ci-dessous**

Broken bones can cause pain.

Torn muscles and ligaments can cause pain.

The truth is that broken bones and torn muscles usually heal within 6 weeks. In extreme cases,

they may take up to 3 months.

If your pain is persisting for more than 3-6 months, chances are that the site of injury is not the sole cause of your pain. Your doctor may tell you that you have arthritis or degeneration based on your x-ray. It's important to know that most cases of arthritis or disc changes seen on x-rays are NORMAL and are seen in 90% of adults who have no pain.

Degenerative disc disease, is first of all, not a disease. It is a normal part of aging and happens as you lose some height in your vertebral discs. If you've been told that you have disc bulges, it is not necessary the cause of your pain as we know that over 70% of all adults with no pain have disc bulges on their MRIs.

Disc bulges and herniations are only concerning if you have obvious weakness in your legs or loss of sensation in your foot.

Rest assured that recovery is still possible.

So if my tissues are healed, why is my pain still severe?

After months of pain, you might now have developed a:

HYPERSENSITIVE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

Although you may still have tightness and weakness at your pain site, a hypersensitive nervous system can be:

MAGNIFYING YOUR PAIN

After feeling pain for long periods of time, the nerves, spinal cord, and brain become sensitized. In other words, they get really good at feeling pain.

Also the body map in the brain changes. This causes the brain itself to become much more sensitive, smarter, or better at feeling pain.

There isn't a specific part of the brain that feels pain. Each part of the brain is responsible for feeling pain. Pain can be associated with the parts to sense sight, smell, hearing, and the feeling of emotions such as fear, sadness, and danger. This is why your neck pain may increase when you cross the intersection where you had an accident. Others have increased pain when they are in conflict with others or when they think about things like financial stress. It is important to keep in mind that what we see, what we hear, and our thoughts and experiences all influence how we feel in pain.

So why does this happen?

Our brains are constantly analyzing our lives, including our environment and our thoughts to see if we are safe or in danger?

Subconsciously, when waking we ask ourselves many questions, such as: