Do You Have Neuroplastic Pain?

Read the criteria below and check which apply to you. You do not need to meet all of the criteria for your pain or symptom to be neuroplastic, but the more you check, the higher the likelihood your pain could be eliminated or greatly reduced through pain reprocessing.

FUNCTIONAL CRITERIA

This means that the symptoms do not fit with and aren’t explainable by known structural conditions.

• Symptoms begin without an injury
• If symptoms started with an injury, they lasted after the injury healed (all injuries heal; scars don’t cause pain)
• Symptoms occur in a symmetrical pattern (mirror image on right/left side)
• Symptoms occur on one whole side of the body or on half of the face, head, or torso
• Symptoms spread over time to different parts of the body
• Symptoms occur in many different parts of the body at the same time
• Symptoms that have the quality of tingling, burning, electric, numb, hot or cold

INCONSISTENT CRITERIA

This means that the symptoms vary in ways that a structural condition would not.

• Symptoms shift from one location in the body to another
• Symptoms are more or less intense depending on the time of day, or occur first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night
• Symptoms occur after, but not during, activity or exercise
• Symptoms occur when one thinks about them or when someone asks about it
• Symptoms occur when stress increases or if one thinks about stressful situations
• Symptoms are minimal or non-existent when engaged in enjoyable or distracting activities, such as when on vacation
• Symptoms are minimal or non-existent after some kind of therapy, such as massage, Chiropractic, Reiki, acupuncture, an herbal or vitamin supplement

TRIGGERED CRITERIA

This means that the symptoms are brought on by stimuli that would not actually cause the symptoms physically, but they activate the brain to generate the symptoms.

• Symptoms are triggered by things that are not related to the actual symptom, such as foods, smells, sounds, light, computer screens, menses, and  changes in weather
• Symptoms are triggered by the anticipation of stress, like before school, work, a doctor’s visit, a medical test, a visit to a relative, or a social gathering, or during these activities
• Symptoms are triggered by simply imagining engaging in the triggering activity, such as bending over, turning the neck, sitting, or standing
• Symptoms are triggered by light touch or innocuous stimuli, such as the wind or cold

PERSONALITY TRAITS

These types of personalities are more likely to develop neuroplastic pain.

• Perfectionstic
• People pleaser
• Self-critical
• History of anxiety or depression
• History of childhood trauma (even mild traumas)
• Family history of chronic pain

DIAGNOSES

These diagnoses are associated with neuroplastic pain. If you have been diagnosed with any of the following conditions, your symptoms are more likely to be

• Migraines/Tension headaches
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Fibromyalgia
• Back pain
• Chronic abdominal and pelvic pain syndromes
• Neck pain
• Chronic tendonitis (in any joint)
• Whiplash
• Piriformis syndrome
• Knee pain
• Repetitive strain injury (RSI)
• Patellofemoral syndrome
• Foot pain syndromes
• Temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ)
• Myofascial pain syndrome
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS)
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
• Paresthesia (numbness, tingling, burning)
• Pudendal Neuralgia
• Vulvodynia
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
• Interstitial cystitis
• Burning chest pain (resembles acid reflux)
• POTS
• Hypersensitivity syndromes (to touch, smells, sounds, foods, medication)
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Central Sensitization
• Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)