Before discussing the role of Neuroplasticity in chronic pain management it is important to have a working definition of the term.  Neuroplasticity (variously referred to as brain plasticity or cortical plasticity or cortical re-mapping) refers to the changes that occur in the organization of the brain as a result of experience. A surprising consequence of neuroplasticity is that the brain activity associated with a given function can move to a different location as a consequence of normal experience or brain damage/recovery.

It is now indicated that this capacity for rewiring of the neuronal synapses to allow for re-development of entire regions of the brain is present in adults as well as children.  Newly discovered principles of adult neuroplasticity are at the heart of some of the most revolutionary and groundbreaking brain research. 

Pain research presented by the American Society of Anesthesiologists has emphasized the molecular transduction of painful stimuli, the sensitization processes that occur after injury and long-term phenomena such as pain memory.  Neuroplasticity after surgery occurs at the transduction process, in the periphery at the sub-cellular level, or in the central nervous system, where central sensitization occurs.

According to Kenneth Sufka in his article published in Brain and Mind Journal:

Pain that persist long after damaged tissue has recovered remain a perplexing phenomenon.  This so-called chronic pain serves no useful function for an organism and, given its disabling effects, might even be considered maladaptive. However, a remarkable similarity exists between the neural bases that underlie the hallmark symptoms of chronic pain and those that serve learning and memory.  Both phenomena, wind-up in the pain literature and long-term potentiation (LTP) in the learning and memory literature, are forms of neuroplasticity in which increased neural activity leads to a long lasting increase in the excitability of neurons through structural modifications at pre- and post-synaptic sites.

According to researched published in Pain Physician Journal (2006), 90 percent of people in the US receiving treatment for pain management are prescribed opiate medication.  Of that number 9 percent to 41 percent had opiate abuse/addiction problems.  According to research published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 933:175-184 (2001) titled “Spinal Cord Neuroplasticity following Repeated Opioid Exposure and Its Relation to Pathological Pain;” convincing evidence has accumulated that indicates there are neuroplastic changes within the spinal cord in response to repeated exposure to opioids.  Such neuroplastic changes occur at both cellular and intracellular levels.  Since so many people living with chronic pain are using opiates these neuroplastic changes need to be better understood.

To learn about developing a more effective chronic pain management plan, please check out my article 12 Personal Actions Steps for Chronic Pain and Medication Management that you can download for free on our Article page.

If you’d like to receive training for helping people with chronic pain and coexisting disorders, including addiction, I’m very excited to announce we are presenting my Addiction-Free Pain Management® Certification Training in Sacramento on August 5-7, 2010. To learn more about this and my other upcoming trainings you can check out our Calendar page.

You can learn about the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System at our website www.addiction-free.com. If you are working with people undergoing chronic pain management and want to learn how to develop a plan for managing their chronic pain and coexisting psychological disorders; including depression, addiction and other coexisting psychological disorders effectively; please consider my book Managing Pain and Coexisting Disorders: Using the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. To purchase this book please Click Here.

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