Latest / Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung / Understanding the Mind-Body Connection in Pain

Transcript

Understanding the Mind-Body Connection in Pain · Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung

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  Hey there and welcome back. I'm Dr. Hartung and
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  you're listening to the Family Chiropractic Center
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  podcast coming to you from right here in Robinson
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  Township. Today we're talking about something
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  that I think is really important and honestly
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  it doesn't get enough attention in the world
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  of pain management. We're talking about the mind
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  -body connection and how your thoughts, your
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  stress, and your emotions can actually shape
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  the way you feel pain. Now, before you think
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  this is going to get too abstract or philosophical,
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  stick with me because this is very real, very
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  physical, and very relevant to what a lot of
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  you are dealing with every single day. So, let's
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  start with the basics. Pain is not just something
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  that happens in your body. It's something that
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  happens in your brain. That might sound strange
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  at first, but your nervous system, which is the
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  whole communication network running from your
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  brain down through your spine and out to every
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  part of your body, that system is constantly
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  processing signals. And it doesn't just process
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  what's happening in your muscles and joints.
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  It also processes your stress levels. your sleep,
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  your mood, and even your past experiences with
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  pain. All of that information gets mixed together
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  and what comes out the other end is what you
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  actually feel. Here's what's interesting. Two
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  people can have the exact same injury and one
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  of them might experience mild discomfort while
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  the other one is in serious pain. That's not
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  because one person is weaker. It's because their
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  nervous systems are responding differently based
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  on a whole range of factors, including mental
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  and emotional ones. This is something that researchers
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  and clinicians in pain science have really come
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  to understand more deeply over the past few decades.
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  And it changes the way we think about treatment.
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  Now, here's the thing. Chronic stress is one
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  of the biggest contributors to pain that I see
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  in practice. When you're stressed, Your body
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  releases hormones that keep your muscles tense.
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  Your breathing gets shallow. Your posture changes.
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  And over time, that constant tension adds up.
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  Your neck gets tight. Your lower back aches.
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  Your shoulders feel like they're carrying the
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  weight of the world because in a way, they are.
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  Stress doesn't just live in your head. It lives
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  in your body too. So what can you do about it?
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  A few simple things can make a real difference.
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  First, Pay attention to your breathing. When
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  we're stressed, we tend to breathe from the chest
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  instead of the belly. Try taking slow, deep belly
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  breaths a few times a day. This actually helps
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  calm your nervous system down. Second, movement
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  matters. Even a short walk can shift your body
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  out of a stress response and help reduce muscle
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  tension. Third, notice your thoughts around pain.
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  If you're constantly thinking things like, this
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  is never going to get better or something must
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  be terribly wrong, that kind of thinking can
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  actually amplify your pain signals. It doesn't
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  mean the pain isn't real. It absolutely is. But
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  the stories we tell ourselves about pain matter
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  more than most people realize. Now, when should
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  you come see us? If you've been dealing with
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  pain that just doesn't seem to resolve, or if
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  you feel like stress and tension ... are really
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  driving your symptoms, that's exactly the kind
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  of thing we address at Family Chiropractic Center.
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  Chiropractic care helps restore proper movement
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  and function to your spine, which takes pressure
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  off your nervous system and helps your body regulate
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  itself better. And when your nervous system is
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  working the way it should, everything works better,
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  including how your body processes stress and
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  pain. We take a whole person approach here. That
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  means we're not just looking at where it hurts.
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  We're looking at you, your lifestyle, your patterns,
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  and what's really driving the problem because
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  that's how you get lasting results. Thanks so
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  much for tuning in today. I hope this gave you
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  a new way of thinking about pain and what your
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  body is trying to tell you. If you have questions
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  or you're ready to come in for an evaluation,
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  give us a call or stop by. We're here for you.
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  This is Dr. Hartong with Family Chiropractic
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  Center in Robinson Township and we'll see you
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  next time.