In Part 2 of the back pain miniseries, Coach D and Trent discuss the science of pain. The traditional pain model describes pain as pain messages (nociception) delivered to the brain as a noxious stimulus in response to tissue damage. While this model works well to describe acute pain, such as smashing your fingers in the car door, it does not adequately explain the great number of people who experience pain without tissue damage or other pathology. Likewise it fails to explain people with tissue damage who do not experience any pain. The emerging biopsychosocial model of pain, which describes pain as not only a physical experience but an emotional one, attempts to reconcile these gaps. While our understanding of pain is still developing, it is clear that pain is a complex experience.
Articles Referenced During the Episode
- Back Pain and Back Strength by Mark Rippetoe
- The Vertebral Column (Spine) on Wikipedia
- In the spine or in the brain? Recent advances in pain neuroscience applied in the intervention for low back pain by Nijs et al (no link)
Suggested Further Reading
- Aches and Pains by Austin Baraki, MD
- https://www.painscience.com
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