Understanding Pain

Imagine an orchestra in your brain. It plays all kinds of harmonious melodies, then pain comes along and the different sections of the orchestra are reduced to a few pain tunes. All pain is real. And for many people it is a debilitating part of everyday life. It is now known that understanding more about why things hurt can actually help people to overcome their pain. Recent advances in fields such as neurophysiology, brain imaging, immunology, psychology and cellular biology have provided an explanatory platform from which to explore pain. In everyday language accompanied by quirky illustrations, Explain Pain discusses how pain responses are produced by the brain: how responses to injury from the autonomic motor and immune systems in your body contribute to pain, and why pain can persist after tissues have had plenty of time to heal. Explain Pain aims to give clinicians and people in pain the power to challenge pain and to consider new models for viewing what happens during pain. Once they have learnt about the processes involved they can follow a scientific route to recovery. The Authors: Dr Lorimer Moseley is Professor of Clinical Neurosciences and the Inaugural Chair in Physiotherapy at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, where he leads research groups at Body in Mind as well as with Neuroscience Research Australia in Sydney. Dr David Butler is an international freelance educator, author and director of the Neuro Orthopaedic Institute, based in Adelaide, Australia. Both authors continue to publish and present widely.

An expert explores the biological and emotional nature of pain: why it hurts and why some pain is good and some pain is bad. If you touch something hot, it hurts. You snatch your hand away from the hot thing immediately. Obviously. But what is really happening, biologically—and emotionally? In Understanding Pain, Fernando Cervero explores the mechanisms and the meaning of pain. When you touch something hot, your brain triggers a reflex action that causes you to withdraw your hand, protecting you from injury. That kind of pain, Cervero explains, is actually good for us; it acts as an alarm that warns us of danger and keeps us away from harm. But, Cervero tells us, not all pain is good for you. There is another kind of pain that is more like a curse: chronic pain that is not related to injury. This is the kind of pain that fills pain clinics and makes life miserable. Cervero describes current research into the mysteries of chronic pain and efforts to develop more effective treatments. Cervero reminds us that pain is the most common reason for people to seek medical attention, but that it remains a biological enigma. It is protective, but not always. Its effects are not only sensory but also emotional. There is no way to measure it objectively, no test that comes back positive for pain; the only way a medical professional can gauge pain is by listening to the patient's description of it. The idea of pain as a test of character or a punishment to be borne is changing; prevention and treatment of pain are increasingly important to researchers, clinicians, and patients. Cervero's account brings us closer to understanding the meaning of pain.

This empowering book provides a comprehensive resource to help readers of all ages understand pain, seek the right diagnosis and treatment, and allow them to take control of their pain. Unfortunately, pain is a universal human experience. For many, their experience of pain transcends an occasional or nagging discomfort and disrupts their lives. Understanding Pain: What You Need to Know to Take Control presents insights that will be useful to anyone who wants to be more knowledgeable about recognizing pain conditions through symptoms and telltale signs, and needs to be fully informed about the various treatment options available. Providing information that is at once cutting-edge, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand, the chapters also provide the resources needed to obtain further information about the topic. The book covers all major pain syndromes in a manner accessible to those without backgrounds in science or pain treatment, explicitly explaining symptoms, tests that may be needed, and treatments and rehabilitation techniques that are possible. The last section of the text discusses pain issues of specific populations, such as children, the elderly, and women during childbirth.

Most pain can be managed or greatly reduced with proper pain management, but the reality is that most pain goes untreated, under-treated, or improperly treated. Written in layman's terms, this detailed guide explains how pain is perceived; helps patients evaluate and organize information about their symptoms; explores alternative, pharmacological, and invasive treatments; and much more.

This much anticipated collection of stories, written by Oxford University Fellow and Pain Scientist, Dr GL Moseley, provides an entertaining and informative way to understand modern pain biology. Described by critics as 'a gem' and by clinicians as 'entertaining and educative', Painful Yarns is a unique book. The stories, some of his travels in outback Australia, some of experiences growing up, are great yarns. At the end of each story, there is a section "so what has this got to do with pain?" in which Lorimer uses the story as a metaphor for some aspect of pain biology. The level of the pain education is appropriate for patients and health professionals. The entertainment is good for everyone. You don't have to be interested in pain to get something from this book and a laugh or two!

For: People experiencing pain'The Explain Pain Handbook: Protectometer' is a personal workbook for people experiencing chronic pain. Based on the most up-to-date research, this handbook is a key element in the Explain Pain toolkit. It introduces the 'Protectometer' - a groundbreaking pain treatment tool - that helps you understand your personal pain formula, identify your DIMs (Danger in Me) and SIMs (Safety in Me) and provides six clear strategies for recovery from pain.

Butler and Moseley launched a revolution back in 2003 with Explain Pain, now the best selling pain text of all time. Explaining Pain has since become a global tour de force. Research studies show impressive results that can no longer be ignored. After countless conversations about Explain Pain with clinicians, patients, health departments, sports people, politicians and artists, Lorimer and David have written this text in response to the most often asked questions: - Where can I learn more? - How can I incorporate all the tough new scientific literature into my everyday practice to Explain Pain to my patients/family/friends/health professionals? - How do I identify what patients need to know and how do I best pass it on to others, and where can I learn the best skills for delivery? Explain Pain Supercharged is for all health professionals treating pain and indeed anyone teaching people about pain. In this brand new book, with entirely original content, Moseley and Butler apply their unique style to take the neuroimmune science of pain further and deeper, enriching your core knowledge while providing immediately applicable education strategies, conceptual change science, curriculum development and hundreds of ready to use clinical metaphors and therapeutic narratives. [Noigroup]

People who suffer from chronic pain are typically found to be more anxious and fearful of pain than those who do not. Recent evidence has shown that the fear itself serves as a mechanism through which chronic pain is maintained over time. Even once the muscle or tissue damage is healed, a fear of further pain can lead to avoidance behaviour, which over time, leads to deconditioning (e.g. decreased mobility, weight gain). This in turn leads to further pain experiences, negative expectancies, and strengthened avoidance. It is the reciprocal relationship between fear and avoidance that is thought to be responsible for maintaining pain behaviour and disability. With fear of pain known to cause significant suffering and functional disability, there is a need for a greater understanding of this condition. This is the first book to explore this topic. It starts by introducing the current theoretical positions regarding pain-related fear and anxiety along with relevant empirical findings. It then provides comprehensive coverage of assessment issues and treatment strategies. Finally, the book suggests further areas for investigation. Pain-related fear and anxiety are now receiving considerable attention, and efficient and effective treatments are fast becoming available. This book will help guide and extend our understanding of a condition that has been shown to be associated with substantial suffering and disability.