Most honorable Ms Migster, you have been through so much, I can not say that even at my worst, I have experienced that much pain!
I'd say that understanding this thing about how fear and possibly panic can contribute to our problems is worth investigating for anyone with chronic pain
Pain like AS of course, doesn't originate from something simple like stepping on a nail, something that you could just be alerted to, remove the nail, problem fixed, pain will go away
So I'm thinking, let's just say the AS or another pain source is a 7 on the Pain-O-Meter, but are we adding another 2 points because of a muscle tightness and panic reaction to it?
And could that 2 points cause the neural dirt road to become a neural superhighway,
spiralling (note I did not say Snowball
) into a worse and worse condition?
Been thinking about it like this, not just from my readings in the book, but from my discussions with my PT, who specializes in pelvic floor problems. A lot of the women she treats are not only dealing with their physical pain, but their fear as well. Pelvic floor issues may be gynecological in nature, sexual dysfunction, things that are so personal, and some of her patients are afraid to even bring up with their husbands, for fear that it could lead to the end of their relationship. So while she does all the physical therapy that she can for them, she also has found that just as important, is looking and considering what role stress and fear may be playing
