‘…pain is not an input to the brain, but rather an output from the brain which helps lead the mind and body toward their next steps and decisions…
…This almost mind-bending realization is the complete opposite of what most of us have learned about the nature of chronic pain. We’ve generally been taught that if something hurts, it’s necessarily because there is an injury or damage in that place. But the new pain paradigm reveals the brain can choose to create pain for any number of reasons, and actual tissue damage is just one of them. Other factors like emotions, stress, memories of past experiences, and quite importantly, our own personal beliefs about our body and pain can all influence the sensations of pain that we experience. .’
From Jenni Rawlings fascinating article Yoga and the New Science of Pain