Patients often wonder how soft tissues can be so painful. It’s because they have a high density of pain receptors arranged in a spider web type pattern. These irritated soft tissues give rise to some of the most painful conditions such as plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, muscular tension headaches, chondromalacia … Read More
Anger is as important as anxiety when it comes to chronic pain management. Some people are able to come to grips with anger and process it in a healthy way. For others, a lack of control over anger erodes their quality of life. Forget about physical pain for a moment. … Read More
Understanding the importance of sleep and its effect on the perception of pain was my initial insight into the neurological nature of chronic pain. Incorporating adequate sleep into my treatment of pain was my first step in the evolution of the DOC Project. I felt I had a whole new … Read More
There is a sequence of events that results in chronic pain. It is complex and not linear. The first step is to acknowledge a source that can originate from soft tissues, a structural abnormality, or the brain can “short circuit” and spontaneously generate pain. It is also critical to understand … Read More
Masking your reaction to stress is a way of dealing with repetitive racing thoughts. Masking is behavior that’s used to cover up uncomfortable emotions. Driven by anxiety, you do something to get you mind off of a negative situation. It can be effective if used correctly, but it’s usually not … Read More
Repetitive thoughts When you suffer, you have the same set of thoughts over and over; a process that clearly reinforces a given neurological circuit. Suffering takes many forms. Ways it is manifested include complaining, arguing, manipulation, gossiping, etc. There are often strong repetitive thoughts regarding the mess that your … Read More
Memorization of neurological circuits is the another phase of the chronic pain experience in addition to pain sensitization. The way you learn any skill, such as a sport or musical instrument is repetition. It takes years of focused practice to attain the highest level of competence in a given field. … Read More
Chronic pain is a complex problem consisting of many variables that affect your perception of it. Additionally, we now know that unpleasant mental input is processed in a similar manner as physical pain. Applying simple solutions to such a multi-layered problem can’t be and isn’t effective. The DOC (Direct your … Read More
I frequently encounter patients who feel that there must be an anatomical problem that is progressing as their pain is getting worse. There has been no further injury. Nonetheless, these patients become even more focused on finding the problem and having it surgically fixed. I am extremely committed to not … Read More
Objectives: Understand the complexity of chronic pain and how it evolves from acute to chronic. The factors to consider are the source, sensitization, memorization, and the “modifiers” of anxiety, anger, and sleep. Breaking chronic pain into its component parts allows them all to be systematically addressed and it becomes a … Read More