Back in Control with David Hanscom, MD

Every human being has anxiety as a necessary survival trait. Every cell in the human body has evolved to survive – not to have a great time. Unfortunately humans become anxious in the face of perceived threats in addition to real ones. The result is that the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are secreted much more often than needed. These are the chemicals that create the “flight or fight response.”

In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom explains how chronic pain can lead to an over-adrenalized nervous system, and a cycle of anxiety, anger and more pain. He also discusses first steps individuals with chronic pain can take to break that cycle. For more information, go to http://www.backincontrol.com/anxiety-anger-and-adrenaline-3

In this episode. Dr. David Hanscom talks about how his surgical decision-making became clearer when he noticed that many patients with significant structural anatomic problems improved or resolved their symptoms without surgery after engaging in a self-directed, structured care approach. He discovered that as a patient's anxiety resolves it is common for pain to abate. Crippling anxiety is a solvable problem with the correct approach. That does not include surgery. Also, after a failed surgery, another level of hope has been taken away.

For more information, go to: http://www.backincontrol.com/am-i-operating-on-your-pain-or-anxiety.

Many patients have been told that they have “arthritis, bulging discs, herniated discs, bone on bone, ruptured discs or degenerated discs”. They are terrified that they will become increasingly disabled and need to be especially protective of their spines. Their lifestyle may become quite limited. We know that if you view any body part as “damaged”, you’ll tend to focus on it and the sensations from that area become magnified. Then the next logical step in thinking your spine is “a disaster” is to be worried about becoming paralyzed. None of this is true. Physicians don’t know the exact source of back pain most of the time. But we actually do know that the discs between the vertebrae are not the source of chronic pain.

In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom reminds us that there are hundreds of thousands of spine fusions being performed annually in the U.S. on degenerated discs for back pain. The results are unpredictable and people are often worse. He warns us to be careful. A spine fusion is a major intervention. You might be making the decision to have surgery performed on a structure that is completely normal for your age. For more information, go to http://www.backincontrol.com/degenerated-discs-are-normal-as-we-age

If you suffer from chronic pain, you can learn a new language, a language called “an enjoyable life.” Since anxiety and anger are basic survival responses, that’s where your brain is programmed to go as the default mode. These automatic responses become stronger with age and repetition. To train your brain differently requires a deliberate long-term focused effort. The first step in any new endeavor is to create a vision of where you want to go. What do you want your life to look like? Do you want to live in this state of affairs indefinitely? You can’t accomplish anything of significance until you know what it looks like and internalize it.

In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom shows that what you’re doing by creating and pursuing what you want is essentially reprogramming your nervous system. As you continue to work on learning the language of “an enjoyable life,” you’ll be paying less attention to the pain circuits and they will atrophy from disuse. At some tipping point, your pain and anxiety will diminish dramatically – but not by trying to make it drop. It’s similar to re-directing a river into a different channel. It will be slow at first but as the flow of water is diverted, the force of the water will help create the new channel.

For more information, go to http://www.backincontrol.com/learn-another-language-an-enjoyable-life

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

 

Extensive research shows that expressive writing is effective for improving both your mental and physical health. It appears that expressing thoughts and emotions works. Why is it so effective? One theory is that it switches your thinking into a slower, more rational mode, unlike automatic fast thinking. Expressive writing is a tool that helps to calm and re-route the nervous system, and in the process, reduces or eliminates chronic pain. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom discusses his use of chronic pain with patients and explains why it is so effective in the treatment of chronic pain. For more information, go to http://www.backincontrol.com/write-and-dont-stop/

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an extreme form of anxiety. It is characterized by a relentless assault of unwelcome intrusive thoughts.You cannot control your thoughts or emotions without paying a significant price. It all sounds dismal and the general feeling about anxiety disorders, especially OCD, is that you can manage the symptoms but not generally solve these disorders. Once you understand that anxiety is the pain you are able to move past and through it. As you learn to live with uncomfortable feelings, they will lose their power over you and your pain will diminish. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom discusses how to get comfortable with uncomfortable feelings as one way to control chronic pain. For more information, go to http://www.backincontrol.com/ocd-is-no-fun-and-not-funny-extreme-mental-pain/

Have you noticed that when your spouse or partner is having a great day that your day is better? Conversely when he or she is having a bad day, then it takes yours down a couple of notches. It is because a similar part of your brain is being triggered. Almost uniformly, the family members or friends of my patients will roll their eyes when that question is asked. It is not that easy living with someone who is suffering from constant pain. But it can be. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom discusses how discoveries about mirror neurons can be used to create a better environment in homes where a family member suffers from chronic pain.  For more information, go to http://www.backincontrol.com/mirror-neurons-family-healing/

How do you break the cycle of pain behavior, criticism from your partner, and more pain? You have the choice whether to engage in pain behavior or not. At some level you must know that your partner is going to react negatively to it, but you do it anyway. When you feel the hostility and criticism from your partner, your pain increases. This is expected, since we know that stress chemicals increase the speed of nerve conduction, resulting in more pain. Since there is seemingly no end to the pain, the cycle can continue for a long time. In this podcast episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom explains how the cycle of pain affects family relationships and provides tips for what family members can do to break the cycle. For more information, go to http://www.backincontrol.com/the-chronic-pain-marriage-go-round/

When you are trapped in pain you have a difficult time reaching out. Others do not necessarily want to interact with angry people. The problem becomes greatly magnified in that it has been shown that social rejection shares the same neurological circuits in the brain as chronic physical pain. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom explores the issues of social isolation that often accompany chronic pain and discusses ways that the pain sufferer can reconnect with family and friends. For more information, go to: http://www.backincontrol.com/the-pain-of-social-isolation.

Pain pathways are permanent and part of the unconscious part of your brain. There is nothing you can do to “fix” them. Any attention paid to them simply reinforces them. That includes trying not to pay attention to them. For example, one strategy to avoid reinforcing pain pathways is not talking about your pain with others, especially family members. When someone has chronic pain, it can have a large, negative impact on other family members. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom discusses various techniques for chronic pain sufferers and their families to reduce or eliminate these impacts. For more information, go to http://www.backincontrol.com/the-4-stages/stage-1-laying-the-foundation/dont-share-your-pain/