Do you ever feel like the chronic pain in your back is affecting your concentration and stress levels? Turns out, the connection between chronic pain and brain function could be intensely linked.
In a recent study performed on mice by Northwestern University, researchers found that chronic pain stopped neuron growth as well as disrupted electrical and biochemical signals to the brain; resulting in increased anxiety and difficulty learning.
When a brain scan was performed on human subjects, researchers discovered that those with chronic pain had a significantly smaller hippocampus compared to that of a non-suffering patient. These results lead doctors to suspect that because of the stumped neuron growth due to chronic pain, intelligence is hindered and emotions compromised.
So the question is: can abnormal brain function be reversed through treatment of spinal pain?
Six months after successful back treatment for chronic pain, patients showed increased brain function, specifically, “cortical thicknesses in: the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (correlating with reduced pain and physical disability), the primary motor cortex (correlating with reduced physical disability), and the right anterior insula (correlating with reduced pain),” according to a press release from DigitalJournal.com.
Based on these results, structural and functional brain abnormalities are reversible; meaning that proper treatment can directly result in normal brain function; AKA a happier and healthier you.
Natural remedies such as massage therapy, acupuncture, natural herbal supplements and proper nutrition are all ways to re-establish a healthy connection between the brain and spinal cord. Keep these things in mind, and your hippocampus will thank you. For more natural back pain remedies, visit our blog today.
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