Orem Chiropractor Discusses One Way Pain Becomes Chronic

April 6, 2011 - PRLog -- At some point in your life some has probably told you to “have a good attitude.”  Well, researchers at the American Academy of Pain Medicine have just discovered one of the most important reasons why you should have a good attitude about your health.

Are you looking for Orem migraine treatment?  If so please read carefully because there will be important information for you.

Researchers found that thinking of events as a catastrophe or looking at them with fear and being depressed seem to be major predictors of whether acute pain from injury will change into chronic pain.

Studies have shown that having a “catastrophe” attitude about back pain has been found to be SEVEN TIMES more powerful than any other factor in predicting whether pain will become chronic.

Fear also seems to play a role. "Those who had more fear during an acute low back pain episode were much more likely to ultimately over-predict the amount of pain they had, which ultimately led to significant increase in fear-avoidance behaviors, with subsequent worsening of symptoms, increase in duration of pain, and increase in disability," said Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, chief of the pain management division at Stanford University.

Depression and anxiety also had similar effects. 30% to 65% of patients who have chronic pain are also depressed.  Those who are depressed and suffer with anxiety are two to five times more likely to develop chronic pain within eight years.

In a study that appeared in the Annals of Surgery in 2007 researchers found that those with fear of the long term consequences of the operation was associated with more pain, poor recovery and worse quality of life at a six month follow up.

Having these kind of attitudes and beliefs causes a change in a person’s brain and nervous system that inhibits one’s innate ability to end pain.

As your Orem fibromyalgia specialist, I have found that these people not only become more sensitive to pain, but they also develop more persistence of pain.

There appears to be two parts of the brain that contribute.  The first is the lateral orbital frontal cortex.  It’s an area involved with self-evaluation and making decisions on what to do about incoming sensations.  The second area of the brain seems to be the medial prefrontal cortex.  This is an area of the brain that has been found to be dysfunctional in people with post-traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

The part that is unknown is whether the pain has caused these areas of the brain to malfunction or has the malfunction caused the pain to persist.

As your Orem Chiropractor, I am your Orem back pain specialist.  If you suffer with pain that isn’t going away, consider contacting my office at 801-225-1311.  Learn more at http://www.AskDrNed.com

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Orem Chiropractor - R. Ned McArthur, D.C. specializes in providing lasting relief from Back Pain, Car Accident Injuries, Dizziness, Fibromyalgia, Headaches & Migraines, Insomnia, Neck Pain, Numbness, Restless Leg Syndrome and Sciatica. Learn more at http://www.AskDrNed.com Receive A Free Introductory Visit by calling 801-225-1311. Orem Chiropractor - R. Ned McArthur, D.C. is located at 560 S. State #C2 Orem, UT 84058