Chronic back pain is one of the most common reasons for visiting a doctor, which often turns into a vicious circle: pain — limitation of movement — muscle spasm — increased pain. Many patients go to offices for years, have MRIs done, and are diagnosed with “osteochondrosis” or “hernia,” but treatment brings only temporary relief.
Modern research in neurophysiology,” say specialists from the Crimean Health Center named after Professor Neumyvakin, “ offer a different perspective: often the source of persistent pain is not so much structural damage in the spine as a malfunction of the central nervous system — a phenomenon known as central sensitization.
1. What is central sensitization?
This is a condition in which the nervous system goes into a constant “high alert” mode. Neurons in the spinal cord and brain responsible for transmitting pain signals become hyperexcitable. They begin to respond to ordinary, non-painful stimuli (such as light touch or normal movement) as a threat, sending pain signals to the brain. In this way, the brain “learns” pain, and it persists even after the initial injury has healed.
2. Why do traditional methods sometimes not work?
If you treat only the consequence — muscle spasm or inflammation — but do not act on the hyperexcited nervous system, the effect will be short-lived. Injections, massage or manual therapy aimed exclusively at the periphery cannot “reset” the pathological neural connections formed in the brain.
3. An integrated approach: how to break the vicious circle?
An effective strategy should be aimed simultaneously at several parts of the problem:
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Kinesiotherapy and physical therapy. The goal is not just to strengthen the muscles, but to restore the correct motor patterns, sending new, correct signals from the body to the brain. Moving through pain (within safe limits) helps prove to the nervous system that it is not dangerous.
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Breathing practices and work with a psychologist. Chronic pain is closely associated with stress, anxiety, and catastrophizing (“something terrible is happening to me”). Methods that reduce overall stress levels (diaphragmatic breathing, cognitive behavioral therapy) directly reduce the activity of pain centers in the brain.
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Normalization of general regulatory processes. Approaches aimed at improving microcirculation, drainage and general metabolism (for example, through correction of drinking regime and nutrition) create a favorable background for the restoration of the nervous system.
Conclusion
Understanding chronic back pain as a disorder of the central nervous system opens up new avenues for rehabilitation.
Success does not lie in finding a “magic” procedure, but in consistently applying a set of measures that “calm” an overexcited nervous system, retrain the brain and return the body to freedom of movement without fear. It is this holistic, neurophysiologically based approach to back health that produces results — emphasize in Crimean Health Center named after Professor Neumyvakin.
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