When the alarm system becomes oversensitive
Pain is your body's warning system — it tells you something needs attention. In chronic pain, however, that warning system can become hyperactive. Central sensitisation is a condition of the central nervous system where the brain and spinal cord stay in a state of heightened reactivity, long after the original injury should have healed. The pain threshold drops, and discomfort persists far beyond what the tissue damage explains.
It is now widely recognised in medical science, though the exact reason one person develops it and another does not is still not fully understood. Stress — both current and from the past — appears to play a significant role.
What it feels like
People living with central sensitisation often describe experiences that seem puzzling to those around them:
- Allodynia — pain from things that should not hurt, such as a light touch or gentle massage
- Hyperalgesia — normal bumps and knocks feeling far more painful than they should
- Heightened sensitivity to light, sound and smells
- Brain fog, poor concentration, memory difficulties and disrupted sleep
- Emotional strain, including anxiety and low mood
Because the symptoms seem out of proportion, others may not understand — and may even question whether the pain is real. That disbelief only adds to the burden.
Why it develops
Conditions such as stroke and spinal cord injury can trigger it, but it is increasingly clear that central sensitisation is also involved in common problems like back and neck pain, migraines, arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, whiplash and autoimmune conditions. The factors are rarely single — they tend to be a combination of the biological, the psychological and the environmental. A person's stress responses, a history of anxiety or depression, and past physical or emotional trauma are all predictors of chronic pain later in life.
In other words, a nervous system that was already out of balance may struggle to complete normal healing — and that is where a different kind of treatment becomes necessary.
How I approach it
Early in my physiotherapy career I kept meeting patients who simply did not follow the expected healing path. It became clear to me that what a person had been through before an injury could shape their recovery more than the injury itself. I wanted to understand that connection and find a way to work with it, not just against the symptom.
After more than 20 years of clinical practice and study, my approach brings physiotherapy, kinesiology and gut health together to look at the whole picture. If you would like to explore whether it can help your situation, I would love to hear from you.