Neuropathic Pain Explained: When Pain Becomes More Complex
Monitoring Self & Environment
Your brain is constantly creating a mental map using information from your senses both from inside and outside of your body. This mental map your brain keeps updating helps anticipate what will happen next in order to make decisions and respond accordingly.
For example: Have you ever been walking down a sidewalk in winter when you see a part of the sidewalk reflecting the sunshine up into your eyes? Your brain uses this visual information and thinks "Hey that must be ice!". It then uses the mental map created by previous experiences to send information to your muscles to help avoid falling. You might spread out your feet more, walk a bit slower; anything that has worked for you in the past.
Threat Detector
A nociceptor is a type of sensory receptor that your nerves use to detect potentially painful or damaging stimuli. They are located throughout the body and can be found in the skin, joints, muscles, and organs. Nociceptors are responsible for transmitting threat signals to the brain so that the body can respond appropriately.
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Nociception VS Pain
Nociception is the body's ability to detect and respond to noxious stimuli, or stimuli that are potentially damaging. This occurs when receptors in the body detect these stimuli and send signals to the brain, alerting it to potential danger. Pain, on the other hand, is the emotional and psychological response to these signals. Pain is a subjective experience and can be interpreted differently depending on the individual. It is an unpleasant sensation that has both physical and emotional components.
Injury or Illness
When you sustain an injury or illness, however, the brain's mental model of your body can become distorted. This is because the brain is receiving information from the body that it is not used to. This can lead to developing chronic pain that can be categorized as either "Central Sensitization" or "Peripheral Sensitization".
Central Sensitization
In Central Sensitization, the brain's "pain center" is constantly receiving pain signals, even after there is no actual injury present. This is due to the brain no longer being able to effectively "filter" the pain signals it is receiving. As a result, the person may experience pain even when the body is not being stimulated.
Peripheral Sensitization
In peripheral sensitization, the nerves in your periphery (such as your skin, muscles, and joints) become overly sensitive to even the slightest touch. This can cause the person to experience pain even when the body is not being stimulated.
What can we do?
Regardless of whether a person is experiencing central sensitization or peripheral sensitization, it is important to remember that the pain signals the brain is perceiving are very real and should be taken seriously.
It is important to seek medical attention and treatment for the underlying cause of the pain. When left untreated, the sensitization can continue to increase, leading to a worsening pain experience.
The Calmare device interrupts this process and "resets" the sensitivity of your nervous system to an appropriate level. This allows you to experience relief from chronic pain without the need for medication or invasive procedures.