The Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Chronic Pain
The prefrontal cortex is a part of our brain that controls what's called 'higher executive functioning'. This is the cognitive area of the brain that houses our conscious perception and decision making…
The Need to Treat the Mind with the Body
As a PT (physio) I realized a long time ago that we are not just mechanical bodies cut off from the mind at the neck, but that in fact, our brains and nervous systems have a greater impact on our bodies…
Feeling Safe, Feeling Well 8 Week Course- Sign Up!
Psychotherapist Julie Markowitz and myself Jim Prussack PT are teaming up to offer a 8 week course on healing chronic pain and other chronic health ailments starting in January 2021. The course is titled:…
Links between Emotional Repression and Inflammatory Rheumatisms
2019 study article looking at emotional repression and chronic inflammatory rheumatisms (CIR) ( rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis). It also highlights how adverse childhood experiences increase…
How the Brain Leads to Chronic Pain
One of the interesting things with recent fMRI imaging studies of the brain is that we can see what's happening in the brain when there is pain. This study on acute pain also sheds light on the transition…
Is Lumbar Fusion Appropriate for Chronic Low Back Pain?
New research article titled: "Is lumbar fusion necessary for chronic low back pain associated with degenerative disc disease? A meta-analysis."
The short answer is "NO". The researchers came to this…
What Causes Pain To Become Chronic?
New study November 2020 that looked at 375 women coming to an inner city emergency department for acute pain. They followed these people for 3 months. 162 people still had pain at the end of 3 months…
Changes in the Brain Predict Chronic Low Back Pain a Year Later
This is one of those research articles I refer to often. It's titled: 'Predicting transition to chronic pain'. What is so interesting about this research is they did brain scans at the time of an acute…
Abnormal Amygdala Connections With Chronic Pain
The Amygdala is known as the emotional center of the brain. It has been implicated in anxiety and depression and now studies are clearly showing it is implicated with chronic pain. This study showed exactly…
What Happens in the Brain with Pain Catastrophizing?
Pain Catastrophizing is a 'tendency to magnify and ruminate about pain and having a helpless attitude toward actual or anticipated pain.' Studies show that people who catastrophize about their pain have…
