Johnston, RI  401-702-0293
Dynamic Performance & Rehab
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Help
    • Our Staff
  • Services
    • Back Pain
    • Sciatica Pain
    • Knee Pain
    • Hip Pain
    • Shoulder Pain
    • Virtual PT
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Contact Information
    • Ask About Availability & Cost
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Help
    • Our Staff
  • Services
    • Back Pain
    • Sciatica Pain
    • Knee Pain
    • Hip Pain
    • Shoulder Pain
    • Virtual PT
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Contact Information
    • Ask About Availability & Cost

The Power Of Past Experiences & Expectations

10/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Is pain all in your head?

Some people seem to think that, and they sound like ignorant fools when they do.
​
They may be right, but not really in the way they think
.
Picture
Image Source
Pain is a construct of the brain, where information is being sent and processed for a particular output.

It is based off of a few things, mainly our past experiences and expectations. When the brain is bombarded with millions of pieces of information per a second, some things need to be automated and have a system to process a particular response. When information is sent up, we have a particular expectation of what that may do to us, and even more so if we had a past experience.

For example, If you ran for a mile for the first time and rolled your ankle at the end, you would have a bad experience associated with running. This ingrains a painful event that may make you leery of running a mile again, and when you do, there is the potential you go into a protective mode where your ankle will hurt after a mile of running or even tense in the area, despite you not rolling it. (Seems crazy, but happens). In the same example, you may run a mile for the first time and feel great. That creates a good experience and association that you can expect again.

Granted this is a simple example, and you may do things 100 times again and never have a problem, but the first time you get back into it, there’s a sense of unease, followed by a sense of calm once everything is completed.

After having a new experience with the run, your brain is sent ne information from the experience and you may create a new expectation for the activity again.
Picture
Another example would be if you hurt your back bending over to pick something up, you may have tension in the area if you were to repeat the action. Your body is expecting it to hurt again, and as a way to avoid a threat, it creates tension and potential pain to alert you that something may be wrong.

You may even see someone do the same action in a distance and feel pain/tension in the back again because it is associated with a past experience that you have set an expectation of that movement being painful.

So know you can tell your friends that “Yes, the pain is constructed in my head because it’s based on information from the body being processed and the brain judging an outcome from past experiences and expectations”.
That should shut them up.

Have questions?
​
Send us an email at staff@dynamicprri.com  
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Dr. Peter Dionisopoulos is the owner and founder of Dynamic Performance & Rehab. He has worked with many high-level athletes and military personnel, but his true passion is to help active adults maintain their lifestyle by providing  information and potential solutions to their aches and pains so they can continue with the activities they love.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020

    Categories

    All
    Back Pain

    RSS Feed

OUR SCHEDULE
MONDAY 7:00am - 7:00pm
TUESDAY 6am-12pm (East Greenwich 3pm-6pm)
WEDNESDAY 9:30am - 7:00pm
THURSDAY -6:00am - 5:00pm
FRIDAY - 7:00am - 5:00pm
SATURDAY - 8:00am - 12:00pm
SUNDAY - Closed



​CONTACT INFO

12 Industrial Ln Johnston, RI 02919

401-702-0293

staff@dynamicprri.com


Satellite Site
3399 S County Trail, East Greenwich, RI 02818 
​(Inside Jtab Training) 

**TUESDAYS 3-6pm**

Privacy Policy (click here) 

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:
All information on this website  is intended for instruction and informational purposes only. The authors are not responsible for any harm or injury that may result. Significant injury risk is possible if you do not follow due diligence and seek suitable professional advice about your injury. No guarantees of specific results are expressly made or implied on this website. 
Photos used under Creative Commons from danperry.com, TravelBakerCounty