If you're one of the many people struggling with chronic pelvic pain, you're likely super familiar with the frustration and confusion that comes with living with this condition. You might have endometriosis, adenomyosis, vulvodynia, fibromyalgia, bladder pain syndrome... or none of these conditions. But still you live with ongoing pain.

Despite trying various treatments, your pain may still feel unpredictable, with even seemingly normal activities like wearing tight clothing or going out in the cold triggering intense discomfort.
One potential culprit that is often overlooked in chronic pelvic pain is pain system hypersensitivity...
This phenomenon occurs when changes in our nervous system, particularly the central nervous system, lead to a lower threshold for pain activation and enhanced activation of the pain system.
This comes with a host of symptoms that many are familiar with.
Symptoms of pain system hypersensitivity include:
⚡ Tight and knotty muscles
🧠 Frequent headaches
🤕 Pain that spreads or moves to more areas
💡Sensitivity to lights
💩 Sensitive digestive system
😩 Low libido
😑 Difficulty concentrating
🥵 Poor memory
So WHY does this happen?
Our nervous system is remarkably plastic, meaning it can change and adapt in response to various stimuli, including ongoing pain. When we experience persistent pain, our nervous system may undergo changes that result in amplified pain perception and sensitivity.

Certain areas in our brain involved in pain perception
have been shown to reduce in size and our nerves can undergo changes like keeping certain ion channels open for longer so that pain signals are more easily triggered.
It's important to note that these changes are not a conscious choice but rather an adaptive response by our body. Our brain
and body are trying very hard to protect us and keep us safe.
Unfortunately this 'efficiency' can lead to worse pain and pain that is easy to trigger.
What's that you say about brain changes in people with endo and chronic pelvic pain?
A study found that women with chronic pelvic pain have changes in the areas of the brain involved in pain perception.

Relative to the controls in the study, women with endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain had reduced gray matter volume in brain regions involved in pain perception (like the left thalamus, the left cingulate gyrus, the right putamen, and the right insula) 👀
Women with chronic pelvic pain without endometriosis ALSO showed decreases in gray matter volume in the left thalamus.
The same brain changes were not seen in people with endometriosis who did not have chronic pelvic pain (as we know not everyone with endometriosis has chronic pelvic pain).
You can read more about this study here
Why does this matter?
This is really powerful evidence as to how the brain changes in response to chronic pain. Just like our pelvic floor muscles can become tight and our gut can become sensitive to ongoing pelvic pain, our brain ALSO undergoes changes in response to chronic pain. It’s important to address this. 💛
The GREAT news is that just as these changes in your nervous system occurred, they can also be reversed, through a process called neuroplasticity.
There are many ways to do this. We teach many of these techniques in the Ella App.
Some key things are performing gentle exercise and stretches as these help to send messages of safety to your neuroimmune system when done at the right level. Other things include breathwork, meditation and mindfulness.
By understanding and targeting pain system hypersensitivity we hope you'll be able to make progress in managing your symptoms and improving your quality of life.
Remember...
You are not alone in this journey, and with the right approach and support, it is possible to regain control of your life. 💕
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