Neuroplasticity principles for pain relief.
The somatosensory system is concerned with understanding touch and physical sensation in our body. Our sensors are neurons that respond to mechanical touch, heat, cold, vibration, etc. They collect this information and send it first to our spinal cord and then to the brain where the information is interpreted.
Not only is pain highly subjective, but there is a clear distinction between trauma and pain itself.
There is a known case when a builder stepped on a long, sharp nail and experienced great pain. He said that he could not move because of the pain. After being taken to the hospital and carefully removing the shoe, it turned out that the nail had gone right between two toes without even touching the builder's foot. What he saw with his own eyes created pain.
Meanwhile, X-rays show the opposite. During an X-ray examination, the tissues of the body are damaged, but the person does not feel pain. This proves that pain and damage to the body are also not completely related.
These examples show the power of the mind. The brain reacts and responds to what is given to it. Pain is as much perceived as it is physically felt. Our interpretation of a sensory event is very powerful, it accounts for the entire experience. For example, people who expect to be injected with morphine experience less pain even before the injection, simply because they know that relief awaits them.
Love, romantic relationships and pain
One study found that love and/or obsession can reduce the sensation of pain. When the women looked at or thought about their loved one, the pain decreased and they were able to tolerate more pain.
It turns out that love can modulate pain depending on how obsessed you are with that person (or animal or thing). Both new, strong infatuations and long-term love can reduce the experience of pain. Dopamine release appears to be responsible for this effect.
This hormone is the cause of the symptoms of falling in love, the release of dopamine dilates the pupils, causes excitement, prevents you from stopping to think about the object of admiration. Dopamine can activate the vagus nerve and reduce inflammation.
The question is, should we be chasing dopamine to reduce acute and chronic pain?
Pros and Cons of Inflammatory Stimulation
By stimulating the surface of the body, signals are transmitted to our autonomic system that controls alertness or calmness. This releases molecules such as norepinephrine and dopamine that make us more alert and reduce our response to pain and inflammation.
Depending on the stimulation and its strength, we can achieve a specific effect on the body. For example, low-intensity stimulation of the limbs (feet and hands) can reduce inflammation, while more intense abdominal stimulation can even promote inflammation.
People tend to talk about inflammation as a bad thing, but from a scientific point of view, inflammation is a great inflammatory response. Inflammation is the main reason why cells are recruited to the site of injury. Rapid acute inflammation is what will allow you to heal from any injury as it removes the injury and the bad cells.
Anti-inflammatory practices are getting a lot of attention, but different inflammations need to be distinguished. Chronic inflammation that is out of control is indeed bad, but acute inflammation is not only beneficial, but necessary.
Tools and tips for dealing with an injury and coping with pain:
- Spend at least 8 hours in bed. 8 hours of sleep would be ideal, but even the same amount of time spent in bed will be beneficial.
- Spend at least ten minutes a day walking (longer if you can (depending on the injury))
- Ice is supposed to help fight pain, but ice usually works like a placebo. It limits movement and removes part of the pain. But this happens because the cooling turns off the nerves that signal pain. When they regain their function, the pain may be even worse.
- Meanwhile, the heat is quite helpful. It improves tissue viscosity and removes fluids from the affected area.
In short - movement, sleep, light and heat are the most important, not ice.
BONUS: Some tips on how to improve perfusion and start the glymphatic (body's waste removal) system, processes that help the body cleanse itself after injury
- Deep sleep
- Sleeping on one side and/or with feet elevated.
- Low-intensity (Zone 2) cardio training three times a week.
- Red light can be helpful and sunlight is essential.
Summary from the Huberman Lab podcast. Listen to the full episode - Control Pain & Heal Faster with Your Brain