Catastrophizing A Predictor Of Chronic Pain After Knee Replacement
What better study to show the power of negative thinking (catastrophizing) and how it can contribute to chronic pain than looking at people who have had a whole knee joint replaced but continue to have…
MRI Knee Abnormalities Found in Many People Without Symptoms
New 2020 research study looked at 220 asymptomatic knees with MRI scans. What they found just adds more evidence to what we already know: structural 'abnormalities' do not cause pain in a lot of people.
Here's…
The Science Linking Chronic Pain, the Brain, and Emotions
In addressing chronic pain, we need to address the brain, not just the body. Scientific studies are pointing to that. Here's a few quotes from this 2019 review research paper.
"Several studies have…
Your BELIEF If You Will Heal Determines Your Outcome
2019 study looking 1000 people with shoulder pain in the UK found that it is your BELIEF (self-efficacy) that determines if physiotherapy is successful or not. The most important predictor of outcome was…
Emotional Mastery: Dealing With Unpleasant Feelings
Dr. Sarno was a pioneer M.D. who found the link between repressed emotions and physical symptoms. I find emotions really interesting as we know so many people have learned to suppress and repress uncomfortable…
Psychosocial Factors Play Critical Roles in Chronic Pain
Psychosocial factors play a big part in ongoing chronic pain, though you don't have that many doctors asking patients about these things. Working with people in pain for over 20 years, you hear all sorts…
What Role Do Emotions Play in Bodily Symptoms?
One of the least talked about things in the medical community is how emotions play a role in somatic symptoms. Many of these bodily symptoms don't have a physical or structural cause. This study was review…
Ignoring Your Emotions is Bad For Your Health
A little article in TIME magazine to remind us that our emotions have the capacity to create physical symptoms in the body. If you have ruled out structural and organic causes with your physical symptoms,…
Emotions & Somatic Symptoms: What Does the Research Say?
This study published June 7, 2019 was a systematic review looking at multiple studies and the role of emotions in somatic (bodily) symptoms. This is the first review to look at the combination…
What Predicts Back Pain Becoming Chronic? Your Brain!
How common are getting X-ray and MRI's of your back? How about a brain MRI? Well, one day hopefully we will include brain MRI's with acute low back pain. Why? Because certain brain activation patterns…
