[ArlenBales]

I've lived with chronic pain for the last 10 years. Hip, shoulders, lumbar. Have tried just about everything, including minimally invasive surgery. 100s of appointments, over 6 MRIs.

Eventually I came to the conclusion that chronic pain isn't curable. It's our nerves rewiring themselves to constantly send pain, even when no problem exists.

This also gave me peace though. Until I tried everything, I thought my body was breaking down. I'm a very physically active person, who has tried to be proactively healthy their whole life.

Knowing the pain isn't organ or muscle related, but is just fucked up nerves, is consolation. It's not preventing me from doing anything. I still have full range of motion and mobility, it just hurts, but it can't stop me from doing the things I want to do.

So I continue to be active. I have a very high pain tolerance as a result, but I can cope with the pain better than years ago. Last year I hiked the whole 2,600+ miles Pacific Crest Trail despite the pain. Strangely enough, my pain actually mostly disappeared on the trail, but returned after I got home. I think the sudden change of daily habits and sleep conditions may have thrown my nervous system in for a loop.

[johnisgood]

> Knowing the pain isn't organ or muscle related, but is just fucked up nerves, is consolation. It's not preventing me from doing anything. I still have full range of motion and mobility, it just hurts

I have MS. I have brain lesions. It is just nerves, but they affect mobility for me, because it messes with the communication between the brain and some muscles (and my bladder, leading to incontinence).

So in my case, it is not a relief, to be honest. Unfortunately.

[marcinreal]

I'm curious, have you lived in the same place this whole time? If the pain came back when you returned home, maybe there is some environmental cause for it, possibly something poorly-understood. I hesitate to even mention any examples because this can be controversial (and murky) territory, but I'm thinking of things like EMF exposure. Maybe you are really sensitive to something like that. Not sure, but could be worth experimenting with different environments and collecting data.

[ArlenBales]

I may have emphasized the pain going away on the PCT too much. It was still there, but subdued. Backpacking a thru-hike like the PCT is quite a physical and mental ordeal, hiking for 12+ hours a day after day for months, camping every night, acclimating to a range temperatures and high elevations, interacting with other hikers from all over the world. I think it was a new wave of sensations that overloaded my nervous system and distracted me from my usual chronic pains, which are more apparent when I'm sitting at a desk all day.

[marcinreal]

That's interesting. If you think it could be a nervous system issue, have you tried herbs that calm the nervous system or looked into ayurveda or relaxation techniques? Sorry for the random unsolicited advice.