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The Paradox of Pain: Understanding Why Hurt Does Not Necessarily Mean Harm
Outdated cultural beliefs about back pain can lead to feelings of hopelessness and views of being "damaged" or “flawed” when in pain.
In turn, negative self-belief can make us feel "fragile," leading to anxiety and avoidance of physical activities.
This loss of confidence can result in avoiding exercise, work, or cherished life experiences, inadvertently making us less resilient and more prone to future pain.
Back pain, a long-term symptom marked by recurring but self-limiting flare-ups, is so common that it could almost be considered intrinsic to the human experience.
Like baldness or wrinkles, back pain is typically harmless and affects us all to a variable extent. While we cannot always prevent it, we can manage its impact.
Focusing on addressing how we personally experience pain.
Effective self-management boosts confidence, letting us tackle activities we once avoided, and reducing pain's influence on our lives.
Simultaneously, we can trust our self-maintaining body’s remarkable ability to adapt, addressing most health challenges on its own.
Beyond Descartes: Challenging Popular Beliefs About Pain
In the seventeenth century, renowned philosopher René Descartes used a striking metaphor to liken our body to a machine.
Descartes imagined a boy near a fire, where his body senses harmful heat and pulls a cord tethered to his brain, sounding an injury alarm bell to alert his mind of damage to his body.
Descartes' analogy shaped modern pain beliefs. Despite scientific progress, many still mistakenly equate pain solely with physical damage, thinking injuries or arthritis create pain to warn our brain.
The Latin phrase "Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc" means "after this, therefore because of this." It is a common misconception to believe that if pain follows an event, the event is harmful and causes the pain.
However, when pain is experienced from harmless actions, like bending to pick up a sock, it is evident that sequence does not always imply causality.
While physical harm often results in pain, it is not the only factor. Once our nervous system learns pain, various factors can influence its timing, severity, and duration.
The biopsychosocial approach highlights the interplay of contributing factors in shaping painful experiences.
Just like fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat, pain results from a mix of biological, psychological, and sociological factors, working together to create a meaningful protective response to perceived threats.
