The cause and the cure… neuroplasticity
Our ever-changing brain
Neuroplasticity is a word that describes one of the most amazing things about our brains - that it constantly changes itself in response to our environment and the inputs it receives.
Neuroplasticity refers to the processes that allow the brain to change - this includes making new connections and pathways, and reinforcing those pathways. It also includes removing unused pathways and connections when they aren’t being used.
Neuroplasticity has come to significant attention over the last few years with books like The Brain that Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge and The Mind and the Brain by Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley. Advances in diagnostic imaging technologies have allowed scientists to see how the brain changes both it’s structure and activity patterns over time.
The concept of neuroplastic pain is somewhat new, and still emerging - this is cutting-edge understanding of how our brains function. If you’re up for a deep dive on pain pathophysiology - an article from Erica Baller and David Ross (here) is an excellent start.
Because neuroplasticity is automatic, neuroplastic pain can sneak up on us - the brain may make a connection between stimuli and the pain system that leaves us feeling pain that is not related to structural issues or actual damage, or it may heighten the sensation of pain from a specific area. Emotional responses to the pain, or even at the same time as the pain, can trick the brain into presenting the pain more often based because of neuroplasticity.
Crossed wires
To make an analogy - imagine your body’s pain system as a home alarm - it has sensors throughout your home (body) that detect a problem, and connect to a terminal somewhere in the house (the brain). The pain system functions remarkably like this. The main difference in the brain is that it’s alarm system can grow, and connect itself to other sensors that it wasn’t designed to connect to. To stick with the analogy, neuroplastic pain is as if the home alarm started being set off by phone calls, or the furnace turning on, or a door being closed, or even a car driving by.
Neuroplastic pain manifests in several common patterns: persistent pain after healing, pain triggered by life transitions or stress, pain associated with strong emotions like anxiety, or pain linked to non-biological factors such as weather patterns or time.
In these cases, a structural problem is not causing the pain - the brain is presenting other sensations via the pain processing system.
It is real pain
While the pain of neuroplastic pain is very real, it is not because of a structural issue or tissue damage. This is great news because that means by changing how the brain presents inputs to consciousness, chronic pain can be cured.
Curing chronic pain is where pain reprocessing therapy and ketamine can work together to rewire the brain’s sensory and pain presentation systems to stop neuroplastic pain. In one recent study, 66% of back pain patients were pain free or nearly pain-free (pain 0 or 1 out of 10) with only a course of pain reprocessing therapy. This was compared to 10% in the usual care group. (Ashar et al, 2021)
If you think you might suffer with neuroplastic pain, check out my page on neuroplastic pain for a full list of the symptoms.
For more information on pain reprocessing therapy, check out my page or PainReprocessingTherapy.com. Lastly, book a free discovery call with me to determine if PRT, with or without ketamine, is right for you.
Be well,
Gordon
