Understanding Your Pain
How Pain Reaches Your Brain
Pain Is a Signal
Pain is a warning signal from your body.
Your nerves send electrical signals to your brain to say, "There's a problem here!"
If something goes wrong anywhere along this pathway, the way you experience pain can change.
Pain Is Not Just a Physical Problem
Research has shown that pain has three components:
| Component | What It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sensation | The physical pain signal itself | "It throbs," "It tingles" |
| Emotion | The unpleasant feelings that come with pain | Anxiety, frustration, feeling down |
| Cognition (thought) | How you interpret and think about your pain | "What if it never gets better?" "Moving will make it worse" |
In other words, the intensity of your pain is not determined by your physical condition alone. Your emotional state and how you think about the pain also play a role.
An important point: This does not mean the pain is "all in your head." All three components of pain involve real processes happening inside your brain. That is precisely why managing how you relate to your pain is a legitimate part of treatment -- not just treating the body.