It’s important to consider why my nerves remained sensitive after the injury. Comparing
just the injury and recovery time might not give the full picture, as many other factors
contribute to the pain experience. Various factors influence whether the brain keeps the
alarm system activated. Remember, when our body senses danger, it sets off an alarm
system, which can cause us to feel pain. So, anything that makes us feel more
threatened can also make us feel more pain.
This can include but is not limited to, actual tissue damage.
● Other examples that influence the alarm system remaining elevated:
○ Often, people receive different explanations for their dysfunction – maybe
from different health care providers or family members or friends or Dr.
Google, and people have different opinions, and this uncertainty heightens
the alarm system
○ Expectations and past experiences: maybe you hurt yourself in the past
and had a terrible go of it, or maybe you know someone who had a similar
injury and had a terrible go of it, so you consciously or subconsciously
expect your experience to be the same.
○ Pain will impact your family and job. You may have many medical visits,
expensive tests, lost time off work, frustration, and concerns about money,
the future, and your ability to work. This stress and threat provide little
incentive to your brain to turn the alarm system down.
○ Maybe you have tried a variety of treatments that have failed to fix your
problem. Maybe the treatments have helped other people but haven’t
helped you. Maybe your pain has even gotten worse. You might think to
yourself, wow, something really terrible must be going on with me, and no
one can figure it out!
○ So, with all this uncertainty often comes anxiety and fear. We know that
stress, anxiety, and fear, especially involving injury, exercise, or movement
in general, will keep the alarm system turned on rather than off.
When it comes to the alarm system in our body, there are sensors within our nerves that
detect and alert us to changes in our body or surroundings. These sensors can pick up
on things like temperature, stress, movement and pressure, and immunity. This can help
us understand why we may become more sensitive to certain things in our lives or
experience increased pain due to certain factors. For instance, nerve sensors can
detect changes in temperature, so it’s not unusual to feel more sensitive to cold or
experience more aches when it’s cold outside.
Stress leads to the production of chemicals, which can be detected by nerve sensors,
resulting in increased activation of the alarm system. Sensors also respond to
movement and pressure, so even if the movements are not causing any harm, they can
still lead to discomfort. This may also explain why weather and barometric pressure can
impact aches and pains.