Updated: May 3, 2020
The American Chronic Pain Association has a fantastic video called A Car with Four Flat Tires. watch it here...
Chronic (or persistent) pain is like a car with four flat tires.
We might think one medication or treatment will take away our pain, but one tool only pumps one tire. We've got four.
Pumping up that one tire might give us 25% relief, which is good, and should be celebrated as a victory. But it's not enough to move our car forward. There are three more flats to fill.
So, we’ll keep using that one tool to keep one tire full, but we’ll need to get some additional tools to fill up the others.
For each person, the needed therapies, tools, or combination of treatments is different. And there may be a fair amount of trail and error involved to find the right treatments, in the right amounts and frequency.
Managing and recovering from chronic pain - filling up our flat tires - takes a team effort and it takes time. Once our car is rolling again, we also need to maintain it with periodic checks and on-going expected maintenance.
Understanding Persistent Pain: 3 Major Influencers
Understanding Persistent Pain: The Hair-Trigger Alarm
Understanding Persistent Pain: Yes It's All In Your Head. Everything Is.
Understanding Persistent Pain: Lowered Thresholds
Understanding Persistent Pain: It's Like Four Flat Tires
Understanding Persistent Pain: What About "Pain Is Gain?"
Understanding Persistent Pain: Mindfulness
Understanding Persistent Pain: It's An Experience, Not a Signal
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The nervous system is constantly evaluating a variety of cues and information that when combined create a pain experience. It's a complex process involving many parts of the mind and body. This guide will provide readers with a better understanding of persistent pain along with tools to reduce or manage it. learn more...