Healing musculoskeletal pain

I primarily struggled with musculoskeletal pain, with hip, back, pelvic, and shoulder pain lasting the longest. Foot and wrist pain were debilitating symptom imperatives later on once I had already discovered what neuroplastic pain was.

The complete list of symptoms I had were: Back, hip (both), shoulder (both), pelvis and groin, feet (both), neck, wrist (both), hand (both), collar bone, knee (both), tennis elbow, tinnitus, dry eye, ocular migraine, heat sensitivity, anxiety & panic, depression, health anxiety, heart palpitations, intrusive thoughts, disassociation, skin rashes, numbness, post viral infection symptoms, tooth pain, and burning mouth

My symptoms were labelled by doctors or practitioners as being caused by arthritis, degenerative disc, disease, spinal stenosis, femoral narrowing, herniated disc and disc bulges, one leg being longer than the other, and anxiety.

I later found out that these structural findings were incidental and not the cause of my symptoms. I self diagnosed myself with Tension Myoneural Syndrome (TMS) / Neuroplastic symptoms with reassurance from TMS practitioners after ruling out legitimate pathological findings.

Tried all the biomechanical "solutions" that didn't work: Supplements, Changing diet to anti inflammatory or keto, Japanese healer, Castor oil, icing & heat, PT, Chiro, osteopath, massage, acupuncture, sports medicine doctor with rehabilitation classes, correcting posture, yoga, stretching, foam rolling, & trigger point release with lacrosse ball, CBT therapy, antidepressants, benzos, Beta blocker for heart palpitations, meditation (on it's own without understanding pain neuroscience can make it worse), MRI to find "abnormalities in spine", injection from a surgeon, but didn't suggest surgery, exercise & weight loss, cutting out alcohol cigarettes and coffee, ergonomics and chair supports for back, insoles for feet, using pillows as props to “properly” sleep, spinal decompression literally hanging from tree branches, limiting activity, not bending, not lifting heavy things, “resting” for pain

Discovered work of Dr. Sarno, Dr. Schubiner, Dr. Hanscom, Dr. Clarke, Dr. Stracks, Dr. Schechter, and read all of their books Pain neuroscience education Journaling via Nicole Sachs Pain reprocessing therapy and somatic tracking via Alan Gordon Addressing belief and doubt! Learning to feel safe with sensations, thoughts, and emotions Graded exposure teaching the brain the pain is not dangerous Visualization & graded motor imagery Leaning into positive sensations Regulating the nervous system & Polyvagal theory Indifference & outcome independence Self compassion Hope and optimism. And more I'm sure!

Most chronic pain is neuroplastic in nature, meaning that, even though the pain is very real and physically felt, it doesn’t mean that it is being caused by the structures of your body. The brain and nervous system can cause debilitating symptoms without tissue damage or disease.

Neuroplastic pain refers to pain that is created and maintained not by physical injury, but by changes and misfirings in the brain’s neural circuits. This type of pain is very real, but its origin lies in the nervous system and emotional regulation rather than tissue damage.

The brain can "learn" pain through repeated stress or emotional suppression, creating maladaptive neural pathways—essentially false alarms. These misfiring pain circuits, shaped by emotional states and life stress, cause the brain to perceive pain even when there is no physical cause.

Mindbody symptoms—including chronic pain—often result from: - Stress and nervous system dysregulation - Suppressed or unprocessed emotions - Learned neural pathways in the brain - An overactive fear response to sensations

Because this pain is maintained by the brain’s circuitry, healing often involves retraining the brain. This can be done through nervous system regulation (like calming techniques or somatic practices), emotional awareness, and in some cases, simply reducing the fear of the pain itself. Sometimes, it’s not the emotions we need to process, but the fear response we need to calm.

If the brain can learn chronic symptoms, the brain can unlearn them! Healing is not only possible, it is inevitable if you have a brain and nervous system!