Am I CRAZY!!.

[Samvegl]

I was at the hospital yesterday because of horrendous pain to see a orthepedic consultant but ended up with a therapeutic practitioner...........which I now realise is senior physio. She manipulated my knee, asked a few questions and then handed me a sheet of exercises which I have been doing for the last 6 years regularly! When I guestioned her diagnosis she explained that my brain realises that I treat my knee with more respect than other parts of my body and so sends warning pains to the area so that I am aware of the damage and danger. Has anyone experienced this type of diagnosis or I am the only crazy person with knee pain.?

[ednu16]

Not the only on! It's to do with how hypersensitive your nervous system becomes! Any slight agrivation in that area is enhanced as the nervous system is already in over drive. I have it in my knees and my elbows. But I also have other problems with my knees now too.

[Philip]

Sorry but yes, you are crazy, you know I think I would feel the same as you if that happened to me, I have been to see a rheumatologist and ended up with a spec, nurse, it feels like banging head on a brick wall.

Wishing you the best of luck.

Philip

[Bananas5]

Hello Samvegl

No you aren't crazy and yes the physio is correct.

Have you ever heard the yutube video of Lorimer Mosely? An Australian world class physio and probably the best in his profession? Sorry I can't do links but he is there on google.

He explains how messages from an injury go to your brain and send warnings everytime the possibility of that pain returns

x

[Samvegl in reply to Bananas5]

Thanks so much Paton for this. It all makes more sense now that I have investigated Lorimer Mosly though I still am a little confused. I know how the pain asserts itself but how can I stop it? I have an appointment with a pain specialist (privately!!) this afternoon so now I know the questions to ask. I will let you know the outcome

[Bananas5]

I have heard him many times and always fascinates me!!

Yes please let me know how you get on.

Good Luck with the $64 million question!

x

[pchildre]

My last appointment with pain management they gave me almost the same talk. That I needed my leg to hurt so that it would heighten my endorphins. Endorphins my butt!!! It is just heightening my pain.

[Carol53]

Hi not in the same way I have spinal stenosis but when I was in horrible pain went to hospital nerve pain was all over legs hurt was told it was psychosomatic needed mental health didn't even do examination went home in pain thinking I was mad.

[pchildre in reply to Carol53]

Pain management told me there was no way I was hurting as bad as I say I am. They have no clue! I have 5 children. I have never in my mind hurt so bad. The pain is so bad sometimes, that I have considered taking my life. I can't imagine living in this pain the rest of my life.

[katelee in reply to pchildre]

i have never felt that the amount of pain i live with is understood or believed by the medical profession. I have even been told its my fault because i dont present as someone who's in lots of pain!!!!!!! if only we could give our pain to them for five minutes, how we are treated would change drastically.

what keeps me going is there are better painkillers being developed and the understanding of chronic pain (which leads to new treatment options) has come on leaps and bounds in the last ten years.

the other thing i try to do is something small but pleasurable every day, from chocolates, smelly candles, nice face cream or tea and chat with a friend. It's very important to be kind to yourself as you definitely deserve it.

take care x

[katelee]

I think its been badly explained. The new theories around chronic pain is that the problem is in the brain. It's a bit like phantom pain where your brain not only tells you you have a limb when you don't it also tells you you have pain in the missing limb. i have no evidence of injury or inflammation in the site where my pain is so the theory is my brain is so used to sending pain signals it does it automatically even when though there is no reason for it to.

What pisses me off is that they kind of explain this and then send you away although there are things they can try. NHS pain teams seem to be miles behind what evidence based treatment is available , when i went to a pain management programme they used my research in the following sessions as it was more up to date!!

take care of yourself

xx

[Samvegl]

You have made more sense of the theory which is quite feasible, thanks, but it would be great to have method of making the pain disappear as quickly as it came.

Keep healthy

[Bananas5 in reply to Samvegl]

Mindfulness.

Neuroplasticity

x

[katelee in reply to Samvegl]

Me too!!!

the most useful thing i have tried is EMDR. It is predominantly used for trauma but can be used for pain. It's like mindfulness/visualisation on steroids. At one point i could just use a word to bring my pain down. unfortunately its not possible to use all the time but great for flare ups.

take care x

[Hermes123]

Hermes123. I would like to know why pain never goes away, but only intensify's

my brain must be overwhelm pushing electrical signals that they crush passing along the pathways, I have attended countless pain management, life skills-videos, so many op's and a lot more needed, but where do I end up still in pain from the souls of my feet to the top of my neck, whilst working I spent countless pounds on vast and varied treatment, travelling around the country looking for relief from pain. where am I now? in the same place I was years ago and still baffled by the scientific claims.

[katelee in reply to Hermes123]

Pain intensifies because your brain is an expert in sending pain signals. I think of it like learning a musical instrument, as you learn you lay down neural pathways so the more you practice the stronger the neural pathway becomes making playing of the instrument automatic. if you don't practice you lose the ability to play automatically.

The more pain you have the better the brain gets at sending pain signals. it gets to the point where your brain perceives pain to be as important and automatic as breathing! The more pain you have the more sensitive your whole system becomes, so its a vicious circle.

This is why the most up to date treatment are centred on the brain, like EMDR or using electrical impulses to over ride the pain signals (the same operation is given to people with Parkinson's to stop the shaking, this has been used fir pain for over 35years).

unfortunately our understanding of the brain is limited but hopefully that will carry on improving as it has in the last ten years.

[Samvegl in reply to katelee]

Thanks Katelee........that is a concisive explanation which I will broach with my GP to-morrow as well as complaining about the service patients get in the UK (so much time wasted and too many levels of practictioners to go through with huge waits).I have not used the NHS for many years and it is a different world now!

I will investigate EMDR as I have not heard of it before.

Stay well

[katelee in reply to Samvegl]

Thanks. You can see examples of EMDR on you tube but the examples you will find will mostly will be to do with trauma. If you do look into it its not cheap, i couldn't get it on the NHS but i found it more useful than anything else i have tried. So much so i want to train in it especially using what is called the pain protocol, which is different from the trauma protocol. Apart from my gp the NHS have been as useless and so have the pain teams as they are so out dated.

Anyway i hope you get out of your appointment what you need.

take care x

[Hermes123 in reply to katelee]

Hi Katelee I like what you had to say! very enlightening, but like all in life horses for courses, I recently had to apply for my blue badge renewal, and it the bog standard request for answers 1-5 how far can you walk unaided and so on and so forth, but it does not work like that in reality. yesterday with my walking stick I went to my local town centre, I began walking not far i had pains in my right leg, not much further I had to stop all of a sudden pain in the sole of my left foot, moved on again my left hip was painful. another day I might feel fine or a total collection of different symptoms. How does anyone quantify this on a bog standard form. Hermes123.

[katelee in reply to Hermes123]

That's the problem with pain! You have to do it based on your bad days. Also if it causes you pain, fatigue or breathlessness or you walk at least twice as slow according to the law that counts as not being able to do it. You have to be able to do something repeatedly, safely, in a reasonable time frame and without repercussions. If you bear all that in mind i bet the answer to the question is very different. And if you are unable to do anything else because you have pushed yourself that also counts as not being able to do it. Do you get dla or pip?

[johnsmith]

You are crazy because of the pain. This also means you are vulnerable to the manipulations of people who find it easy to take advantage of your vulnerability.

It is very easy to do exercises incorrectly and so damage yourself as a result of doing recommended therapeutic exercises regularly.

See an Alexander teacher. They may be able to help you gain a better understanding of doing exercises more in line with what the body needs.

Hope this helps.

[Bealings48]

I do know how you feel - three times I have had to go to A & E with horrendous pain, in tears and practically immobile (couldnt walk for the pain in hip or in knee). each time I ended up discharged with no pain relief and once with referral to physio. I mean the physio was great but didnt tell me anything I did not know already and exercises I had done for over 10 years. All I needed with the knee pain was an injection into the knee which the orthopaedic consultant had said was the right treatment. When I told them I was told well you definitely wont get that here and was sent on my way. When I next saw the consultant he reaffirmed I should have had an injection. In the end I complained and the A & E senior nurse told me I could insist on it but might have to wait for them to get an orthopaedic doctor to be available to do it. Being as this is an injection I can get my gp to do I really dont understand why the A & E doctors cant do it. My GP will give me the injection but not if I am in acute pain - I have to have it done on a regular basis every 6 months (I really dont need it done except when I am in acute pain).

I have been to a pain management course and although I was very sceptical about it I did learn a lot and it was helpful so If you get offered a place do go.

I am aware that my body is sensitised to pain signals and I do have a regime which I use to help i.e. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. and I dont go to A & E until I have exhausted these and tried to cope for a bit but sometimes you run out of options and it is then so upsetting when the response you get is not something that helps.

[tslade]

I feel crazy sometimes too. I've been getting pain in my left side, mostly my leg for about 4 months now. I've had a few tests and they came back fine. No more tests are scheduled now just waiting to get into physio, which apparently can take a very long time. Im sick of this pain and ready for it to go away now. I feel like they aren't taking me seriously because of my age.