Chronic & Centralized Pain

Acupuncture for Chronic Pain & Central Sensitization in Denver

When pain has lasted for months or years, the problem may no longer be confined to the original injured tissue.

The modern term nociplastic pain describes pain caused in part by changes in how the nervous system processes pain signals. Fibromyalgia is a classic example, but centralized pain processing can overlap with chronic back pain, headache and other persistent pain conditions.

This does not mean the pain is imaginary.

It means that the intensity of pain can become partly independent of the amount of ongoing tissue damage.

Prognosis

The nervous system can change in both directions.

Persistent pain can become reinforced through sensitization, guarding, disrupted sleep, reduced activity and fear of movement—but these patterns can also improve.

Recovery is therefore often measured in function as well as pain intensity.

What Does the Research Say?

One of the most important acupuncture studies combined individual patient data from 39 randomized trials involving 20,827 people with chronic pain.

The analysis concluded that acupuncture was effective for chronic pain and that treatment effects persisted over time. Conditions represented included back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, chronic headache and shoulder pain.

Typical Course of Care

We commonly begin with weekly acupuncture for 6–8 treatments.

With centralized pain, early progress may look like:

• Better sleep

• Less intense flares

• Faster recovery after activity

• Increased walking or exercise

• Less pain spreading

• Greater confidence in movement

Treatment is spaced out as those changes become stable.

Acupuncture and Other Treatment

This is one of the conditions where combination care is particularly valuable.

Pain neuroscience education, physical therapy, graded exercise, CBT or pain psychology, improved sleep and appropriate medications may all help retrain a sensitized pain system.

Acupuncture can reduce the symptom burden enough to make those active approaches easier to engage in.

Schedule an evaluation at Backupuncture of Denver (950 S. Cherry St, Ste 1675, Denver, CO 80246) or by calling 720.370.2711 for persistent or widespread chronic pain.