Prologue: The Mental is the Physical
Pain is not only physical: it is emotional, cognitive, and behavioral, as well.
The term nociplastic (no-si-PLAS-tik) refers to pain that arises or endures from changes in perception by your central nervous system. It was only recently that the idea of a third type of pain which is distinct from that associated with tissue damage (nociceptive pain) or lesions to the peripheral nerves (neuropathic pain) became widely accepted.
Nociplastic pain was introduced in 2016 as a third type of pain mechanism. It often occurs with many types of chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, chronic low back pain, and tension headache and migraine.
Neurobiology, environmental factors, social settings, developmental contexts, and cognitive processes all interact to create an overarching "experience" of pain. Nociplastic pain recognizes that idea, and that the brain ultimately shapes this experience and that this kind of pain is no less real than the other two types. The experience of nociplastic pain can be triggered by factors such as trauma, infections, and chronic stressors, but scientists still do not understand the root cause.
One common thread running through the conversations I had for this project was a lack of clear explanations. In many ways, American medical technology is extremely advanced, but it is limited in its ability to paint a complete picture in the case of chronic pain. Imaging tests and surgical operations can address the physical aspects of pain, but as the definition of nociplastic pain shows, pain perception is much more complex than that.