She mentioned how a disc herniation in a patient can cause different mechanisms of pain, at least three out of the four as mentioned above. Dr. Mailis then began talking about Fibromyalgia and how often Fibromyalgia patients cannot feel normaly, large areas of their body. PET scans now show different blood flow changes in patients with Fibromyalgia similar to those who suffer from chronic pain. She then went on to introduce the concept of Decentralization , which is when patients are exposed to repeated traumatic events such as pain. One s emotions are important in engraving the abnormality in the brain from both the physical and emotional injury.
Decentralization is the one thing that can explain the multiplicity of chronic pain.
Dr. Mailis thinks this affects many chronic pain patients and mentioned the condition of R.S.D., Reflex Sympathy Dsytrophy, in this light. However, she stated that some people may possess a genetic susceptability to pain, and that problems are multifactorial when it comes to chronic pain. Other stressors must also be treated, aside from the physical symptoms, such as depression, which can cause chemical changes in the brain that can worsen pain. More about pain is being learned, such as the case of phantom limb pain, where electrodes have been placed in the brain which have denoted the corresponding parts of the body that are missing and painful, thus revealing how the brain is an important entity regarding the amplification of pain. This also proves how unfair it is to use aggressive medical treatment, ie.