A few stories you may relate to

Every working day, I continue to see patients in my practice who suffer from numerous symptoms with no physical diagnosis. Mickey came to see me about 4 months after her knee replacement very depressed. She had anticipated to be free of the arthritic pain that had slowed her up for months before the surgery. But, although she had a good surgical outcome and her physiotherapy was progressing well, she was afflicted with persistent, burning pain and a sense of detachment and even alienation from her new knee.

Mickey revealed symptoms of depression with a low mood, ruminating over her surgical journey and ongoing difficulties, poor sleep and difficulty appreciating her newly gained walking ability. After months of arthritic pain, Mickey had developed Chronic Pain Syndrome with depression. This is the reason her pain had got worse after a successful operation.

It took a while to explain what was happening to Mickey. She learnt to accept that the new knee is fine but the pain messages to her brain was the real problem. Next post, I will say more about the nature of chronic or persistent pain, but for Mickey we agreed to address the causes of her depression, which was exacerbating her pain.

Mickey started attending a physiotherapist with skills in Chronic Pain and has made steady progress. She has been able to enjoy some lovely walks with her friends and can now anticipate a brighter future with good mobility and pain at bay.

Understanding the nature of functional symptoms, such as Chronic Pain, can help you recover. Next post, I will go further into the nature of pain in functional conditions and show you a path to recovery.

Until then, sending you best wishes for a full recovery.