Our Blizard physiotherapists are always learning and keen to share their knowledge with you, to help you better understand how they treat patients so successfully, and to illustrate how you can help that treatment be even more effective through better communication.

Caroline Hennigan, one of our team of physiotherapists here at Blizard’s, is eager to share research she has been looking into regarding the impact of general life on pain.

How can daily life impact on pain? Here’s an analogy, comparing how headaches are assessed and treated, compared to back pain

Mrs Black’s headaches are interfering with her life, she visits her GP or physiotherapist, describe how the problem with the headaches arose, recount a whole host of things she believes have caused the pain, such as: a new job, stress, pressure at work, family issues, time pressures, a reduced opportunity for exercise and relaxation. She also mentions physical sensations of stiffness in the neck or tightness in the surrounding muscles.



Mrs White's back pain is also interfering with her life. She is unable to identify a cause for this and looks to the GP or physiotherapist for an explanation. "Is it the disc?" "Have I pulled a muscle?" "Do I need a scan?"

There seems to be much more mystery surrounding back pain.

And yet, broadly speaking, pain is pain.[/b]



Yes, there are some differences in the way the original source of pain is triggered and how this information reaches the brain, but the same biological systems come into play, whether the problem is a pain in the head, back, knee or Achilles.

Pain science is very complicated, and the world of pain medicine is continually evolving, but there is a lot we do know that can be used to help our patients.

We know that pain is much more than cause and effect.

It is not as simple as injury = tissue damage = pain after which follows healing = pain resolution.

There are many factors affecting pain, and, in some cases - like the headache scenario - this seems to be widely accepted. In other situations - like the back pain scenario - it is less so.

Increasingly our knowledge of different biological symptoms can help to explain how ‘life’ and ‘other factors’ impact on pain.

What biological systems are involved in how we experience pain?

The immune system, the endocrine (hormone) system, the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the nervous system and the way the brain works - they all affect pain – how it feels, how you feel about it and the consequences to your life.

As physiotherapists, we need to guide our patients to a greater understanding of the body as a whole, in order for these seemingly peripheral influences to be more widely accepted, which in turn means they can be more widely addressed.

What can you do to help yourself when visiting your physiotherapist?

Expansive communication with your physiotherapist can help identify factors influencing your pain.

Physiotherapists can incorporate strategies for dealing with these into your treatment.

So, alongside more obvious treatments using manual therapy techniques to restore movement and deal with the stiffness in the neck, back or other areas, this might mean calming your nervous system through relaxation, restoring efficiency in the respiratory system with breathing exercises, having a positive effect on the endocrine (hormone) system via exercise, exploring the effects of poor sleep on pain sensitivity, and discussing nutrition and its effects.

Therefore, many of the factors identified as contributing negatively to the experience of pain can be addressed, leading to a reduction in pain sensation, a more speedy recovery and a reduced impact on everyday life.