Chronic Pain Isn't Just In The Brain!

Chronic pain is a frustrating condition for both medical practitioners and patients. 

It can flare and subside like a rollercoaster, and no single treatment can be relied on to provide relief all of the time for everyone

You may have heard that chronic pain is a product of the nervous system and how the brain interprets signals from the body as pain, even if they aren't.

This is true, but may not tell the whole story.

A fascinating recent study opens the possibility of chronic pain being triggered by the immune system and antibodies.

This study, published in 2021, was the result of a collaboration between King's College, London, the University of Liverpool and the Karolinska Institute.

The researchers were able to induce fibromyalgia symptoms of muscle weakness and increased sensitivity to pressure and cold by injecting mice with antibodies from people diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Mice injected with antibodies from healthy people were unaffected.

Further, when the mice cleared the fibromyalgia antibodies from their systems, their symptoms cleared up.

This study demonstrates that the immune system and antibodies do play a role in fibromyalgia and potentially other chronic pain conditions.

The nervous and immune system share a complex relationship.

We know that neurotransmitters like Substance P are elevated in people living with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, lower back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions.

Substance P's main role in the body is to amplify sensations so they're felt as pain. This has 2x effects:

• Increase normally painful sensations to even higher levels. For example, you might experience heat as burning, or pressure as being crushed.
• Amplify usually non-painful sensations to feeling painful. For example, the elastic of your socks may feel like it's cutting into your skin. This phenomenon is called allodynia, and is a feature of many chronic pain conditions.

Intriguingly, Substance P has also been found to be secreted by some immune cells, indicating that it plays a role in inflammation.

As well as being elevated in cerebrospinal fluid, higher levels of Substance P has=ve been detected in the synovial (joint) fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients, and in the colon and rectum of people living with IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease) which correlate closely with disease activity.

In psoriasis, an autoimmune condition of the skin, elevated levels of Substance P are seen in......guess where - yes, the skin!

Substance P stimulates mast cells, one of the first responder cells of the immune system, to produce more pro-inflammatory peptides, like cytokines. 

Therefore it appears that Substance P could be a major player in the onset of autoimmune conditions,  where the innate immune system attacks the body's own healthy tissue, as well as the development of chronic pain.

These fascinating research studies are opening new doors in the understanding of chronic pain conditions as not just a nervous system sensory processing disorder, but also having an autoimmune component.

This knowledge will give us more tools to effectively calm down symptoms and ensure chronic pain doesn't have to become a life sentence. You CAN find lasting relief and get back to doing the activities you love!

WAYS TO WORK WITH ME TO RELIEVE PAIN & PREVENT INJURY

If you're ready to find lasting relief from pain and stiffness, I have a variety of options, that you can choose from:

1) Unlock Your Body breakthrough session

This is a one-off powerful 1:1 session designed to help you find the root drivers behind your persistent pain. A breakthrough session is ideal if you have a specific pain or injury that you're struggling to resolve, even if you've already tried other treatments.

We'll work together to find new ways of moving without pain. You'll leave with a deeper understanding of what's triggering pain in your body, and a clear action plan to get lasting relief. 

Apply HERE  and I'll be in touch to arrange an initial complementary consultation to discuss which option will be a good fit for you. 1:1 coaching with me starts from £50.

2) Grab my free E-guide today "How to Get Relief From Back Pain and Muscle Tension in just 10 mins a Day". This informative guide introduces the 3x universal stress responses that lead to muscles getting stuck in contraction and locking you in chronic pain. There's 2x 10 mins video tutorials showing you how to effectively release muscle tension from the front and back of your body in the comfort of your home without expensive equipment or painful stretches. Download for instant access HERE

Other ways you can find help with managing pain or an injury are:

• Book into a Stretch or Pilates class with me - these are a good introduction to the foundational principles of The Befriend Your Body (BYB) Method for pain relief and relaxation. This is my signature framework that I use to help my clients get out of pain and back to the activities they love.
• Subscribe HERE to receive "The Movement Chronicle", a weekly e-newsletter delivering movement and pain relief truth bombs directly into your inbox every Monday morning,

You can connect with me through any of these channels:

• Email at norma@unicornhealthandfitness.com
• Follow me on Facebook and DM me on Messenger https://www.facebook.com/norma.pearsonfitness
• WhatsApp message to 07801 867361.

Study Links

1. New study shows Fibromyalgia likely the result of autoimmune problems https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/new-study-shows-fibromyalgia-likely-the-result-of-autoimmune-problems
2. Andreas Goebel, et al,  Passive Transfer of Fibromyalgia Symptoms From Patients To Mice, JClinInvest. 2021;131(13):e144201. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI144201.
3. Mashaghi A, Marmalidou A, Tehrani M, Grace PM, Pothoulakis C, Dana R. Neuropeptide substance P and the immune response. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2016 Nov;73(22):4249-4264. doi: 10.1007/s00018-016-2293-z. Epub 2016 Jun 17. PMID: 27314883; PMCID: PMC5056132. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5056132/