Neuroplasticity: What is it and how does it affect injury recovery?
Brain plasticity can trigger muscle contractions to help manage injury pain
Have you ever injured yourself – like a disc bulge – and found that no matter what you do it always feels painful? When it comes to injury recovery, even when you follow your physical recovery plan you can still sense some injury pain. That’s because your neuroplasticity can influence your sense of pain too.
So, what does that mean? Here, Drummoyne Chiropractor Dr Luke Ross outlines what neuroplasticity is, and how your brain uses it to manage pain incurred from injury.
What is neuroplasticity?
Also known as brain plasticity, neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to adapt based on experience.
“[Neuroplasticity is] the ability of the brain to form and reorganise synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury.”
Brain plasticity helps you do many things. Like learn new skills, enhance your existing knowledge, and strengthen function that is lost or declining.
How can neuroplasticity affect your pain signals?
Think of your body as a machine. The machine’s ‘hardware’ (your muscles, bones, and organs) is run by ‘software’ (your brain) that is connected by ‘wiring’ (your nervous system).
When your ‘hardware’ is damaged, your ‘software’ detects the injury and runs a protection program. That program usually involves muscle contraction – it’s a quick-fix for your body to provide stability to the injured area. Whilst a sudden muscle contraction can be protective; it can also be painful. Here’s an overview of the pros and cons of it:
Pros
You are aware there is something wrong with your body.
You will likely limit painful activities.
Cons
Other parts of your body will compensate for the movement deficit.
Sometimes, once the tissue is healed the ‘protection program’ doesn’t stop running. Movements that were painful during the injury state can remain painful even when you’re healed.
How can you retrain your brain to stop feeling hurt during recovery?
So, if you’re experiencing pain after an injury is healed, it’s time to update your ‘software’ (aka brain. Shall we drop the machine analogy now? OK great). To do this, your brain needs to experience positive and safe movement patterns. The new experiences will replace its learned fear of movement causing pain.
Whilst your brain is an absolute marvel, it can’t tell the difference between hurt and harm. For example:
Hurt: It might hurt to walk, but it's a good and safe movement
Harm: It might harm you to bend forward and pick up a heavy box or a child
Therefore, it’s important to have your pain properly assessed by a qualified health professional, like your chiropractor. With a thorough investigation and diagnosis, your pain can be treated as you also learn about how to retrain your brain to as you recover.
Relieve body injuries with Sydney Spine
At Sydney Spine and Sports Clinic, we put you first. We believe in offering chiropractic care that enables you to make informed and educated choices about your health. We can help you find relief from body injuries or chronic pain throughout your body. If you are suffering discomfort and would like to talk to us about how we can help you get mobile and active again – make an appointment with one of our chiropractors.