Experiencing pain is a normal part of everyone’s lives. Our body senses threats via nerve endings called nociceptors which send signals up to the brain. However, over time, our nerve cells can become over-sensitized. This means they can react more strongly and easily to something that normally wouldn’t hurt or would hurt less. This is called “SENSITIZATION”. When sensitization happens, the signals transmitted to the brain occur more frequently, more efficiently and can be experienced anywhere in the body (something you don’t want!). Sensitization can contribute to chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, headaches and low back pain. Sensitized individuals may also experience other systemic symptoms such as chronic fatigue, mood changes, sleep problems or difficulty concentrating.
If you’re based in Markham and seeking relief from persistent pain, physiotherapy offers effective treatment options. Our team of skilled professionals, including physiotherapist Afshin Shams, specializes in managing central sensitization and related conditions. In this article, we’ll explore central sensitization, its causes, and how physiotherapy can help alleviate symptoms and improve your overall well-being.
When we are sensitized, we may experience
→ pain that is out of proportion to the actual damage, a phenomenon known as Hyperalgesia
→ pain that spreads to other areas of the body, known as Referred Pain
→ pain that lasts a long time = Chronic/Persistent pain
→ pain that is triggered by harmless things like touch, pressure or temperature, which is called Allodynia
Chronic pain and central sensitization is a biopsychosocial experience and can affect anyone, but some people may be more prone to it than others due to
→ genetic factors: history of chronic pain in the family
→ social: life stressors, job dissatisfaction, interactions with boss/colleagues at work, or
with family/friends at home.
Ok, now what do I do about it?
Treatment for central sensitization is, yes you guessed it, DESENSITIZING your central nervous system. Our bodies are constantly changing and adapting to internal and external stimuli. Research has suggested that we may be able to RETRAIN our brain and take advantage of the powers of NEUROPLASTICITY, which is when the brain changes in response to experiences, good or bad.
Physiotherapy offers evidence-based treatments that aim to desensitize the central nervous system and improve neuroplasticity. These interventions can effectively reverse the mechanisms behind sensitization. Some promising treatments include:
regular exercise: Regular physical activity can decrease the sensitivity of our nervous system by changing processes at the cellular level, re-calibrating the nociceptive signals sent to the brain. Exercise doesn’t have to be high-intensity or involve going to the gym. Low-impact activities such as walking, swimming, or yoga can be effective in reducing nervous system sensitivity. Try to aim for at least 30 mins per day 4-5x per week.
electro-acupuncture: electroacupuncture blocks pain by activating a variety of bioactive chemicals through peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal mechanisms. Specific systemic insertion points by an experienced practitioner centrally through the spine (neck, upper and lower back) and peripherally (ankle, feet, hands) can unblock neurovascular pathways and promote increased blood flow.
TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation): Electrical impulses from the pads placed on the skin can reduce pain signals going to the spinal cord and brain, which may help relieve pain and relax muscles. They also stimulate the production of endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers.
lifestyle modifications: correct ergonomic setup at work (use of a standing desk), change of posture throughout the day (every hour), work-life balance, positive social experiences (friends and family), relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga.
How long does it take to get better?
It is important to note that central sensitization occurs over a period of months to years, which means it may also take several weeks to months to observe significant improvements in symptoms. The most important aspect is understanding the different causes, adhering to the treatment plan and active participation from the patient.
Take the first steps towards your recovery by booking an initial assessment with our experienced physiotherapist, Afshin Shams. At our clinic in Markham, Afshin offers a comprehensive range of services, including physiotherapy, massage therapy, and chiropractic care. With a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from York University and a Physiotherapy degree from the European School of Physiotherapy in Amsterdam, Afshin provides personalized treatment plans that incorporate manual therapy, electro-acupuncture, and tailored home exercise programs. Since then, Afshin has completed post-graduate courses in Contemporary Medical Acupuncture from McMaster University as well as the Advanced Integrated Musculoskeletal (AIM) program through the Orthopaedic Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.
Book your initial assessment with our physiotherapist Afshin Shams using the link below:
Remember, chronic pain and central sensitization require consistent effort and active participation to observe significant improvements in symptoms. With the guidance of our physiotherapy team in Markham, you can embark on your road to recovery and regain control of your life.
This privacy policy sets out how Form and Function Inc. uses and protects any information that you give Form and Function Inc. when you use this website. Form and Function Inc. is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. Form and Function Inc. may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from Sept 1, 2017.
What we collect: Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Information « Personal Information » is personally identifiable information and can include your name, address, date of birth, phone number, e-mail address, and personal fitness details. Personal Information is collected by the Form and Function Inc. mobile app or website when you specifically and knowingly choose to provide it by entering it into the mobile app or website . Personal information inputted into the Form and Function Inc. mobile app or website can be accessed via the Form and Function Inc. mobile app or website . The Form and Function Inc. mobile app or website collects, holds, and uses your personal information primarily for the purpose of providing you with the services that the mobile app website offers. These services may include providing digital journaling and well-being tracking functionality, messaging, file sharing, organizational management functionality, assistance in the provision of healthcare; actionable reports and alerts for you, as well as other authorized users such as your verified care providers and support team members (your coach, trainer, etc.). The information collected is the minimum required to fulfill the purposes. The information Form and Function INC. holds may include journal logs/entries, well-being information, training information, injury information, sickness information, ailment information, quality of life information, messages, files uploaded, correspondence, contact information, and analyses of other information held.
You can choose to link your account with your authorized care providers, support team members, or organizations (e.g., your healthcare provider). Your account will not be linked without you first expressly providing your consent. You can request that your account be unlinked by notifying your organization’s Form and Function Inc. administrator. Such authorized entities will be able to export select data (e.g., journal logs) out of the mobile app or website .Form and Function INC. has no control over the use of your Personal Information if you link your account with a care provider, support team member, or organization, and Form and Function INC. will not be liable for any collection, use or disclosure of your Personal Information by an authorized care provider, support team member, or organization.
We will use your email address to send you updates, reminders, and other information relating to your use of the Form and Function Inc. mobile app or website . If you agree to our terms and conditions while signing up, your personal information will be used to contact you or to send you materials via e-mail and other mailings. Anonymous or « non-personal » information gathered by the mobile app or website may be used for technical, research and analytical purposes. For example, your IP address may be used for analytical purposes. The purpose of storing any Personal Information you may provide us with or that may be gathered when you visit the mobile app or website or fill out any forms within the mobile app or website, is to enable Form and Function INC. to maintain communication with you. We may also reach out to you to publish an individual or company wide case study based on your experience with the app.
Form and Function INC. will seek your consent, as required by applicable privacy legislation, prior to the collection, use and disclosure of the Personal Information. Subject to legal and contractual requirements, you can refuse to consent to our collection, use or disclosure of information about you. You may also withdraw your consent to any further collection, use or disclosure of information about you at any time by giving us reasonable notice. Your Personal Information will not be used for any other purpose without your consent. To ensure that Form and Function INC. efficiently provides the services you have requested from us, Form and Function INC. may share your Personal Information with selected business partners who are acting on our behalf as suppliers or service providers. Such business partners are provided with only such information as is necessary. Personal Information provided to business partners may be used only for the purpose stipulated and is subject to strict terms of confidentiality.
A list of what Personal Information is made available to Form and FunctionINC.’s suppliers, service providers, and subsidiaries is available upon request. Furthermore, you consent to Form and Function INC. releasing and making available your health information and other PersonalInformation to any person whom you (have) authorize(d), e.g., by granting them permissions to your information using the Form and Function Inc. app’s built-in permission granting functionality.
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Security: We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
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By using our website(s) or the Form and Function Inc. application, you agree to Form and Function INC.’s Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our sites or apps. Your continued use of the Form and Function INC. site or app following the posting of changes to these terms will mean you accept those changes. Form and Function INC. reserves the right to change, update, or modify its Privacy Policy at any time without notice, and by using our site or app, you agree to the privacy policy in place at that time. Form and Function INC. will inform you prior to new uses of your Personal Information.
HEALTH DISCLAIMER
Physical exercise, in all of its forms and with or without the use of equipment such as blocks, straps or any other equipment that may be suggested by a Form and Function Inc. instructor, is a strenuous physical activity. Accordingly, you are urged and advised to seek the advice of a physician before beginning any physical exercise regimen, routine, program or using any suggested equipment, shown in any of the video clips on the Website. Form and Function Inc. is not a medical organization and its instructors or staff cannot give you medical advice or diagnosis. All suggestions and comments relating to the use of equipment, poses, moves and instruction are not required to be performed by you and are carried out at your election while viewing Form and Function Inc. videos. Nothing contained in this Website and App should be construed as any form of such medical advice or diagnosis. By using the Website you represent that you understand that physical exercise involves strenuous physical movement, and that such activity carries the risk of injury whether physical or mental. You understand that it is your responsibility to judge your physical and mental capabilities for such activities. It is your responsibility to ensure that by participating in activities from Form and Function Inc., you will not exceed your limits while performing such activity, and you will select the appropriate level of classes for your skills and abilities, as well as for any mental or physical conditions and/or limitations you have. You understand that, from time to time instructors may suggest physical adjustments or the use of equipment and it is your sole responsibility to determine if any such suggested adjustment or equipment is appropriate for your level of ability and physical and mental condition. You expressly waive and release any claim that you may have at any time for injury of any kind against Form and Function Inc., or any person or entity involved with Form and Function Inc., including without limitation its directors, principals, instructors, independent contractors, employees, agents, contractors, affiliates and representatives.
USE OF THE PRODUCT
In order to use the Product, the user must register using our registration page located within the mobile app or website. You understand and agree that an employer of your organization may register You for a user account. Upon registration, the Account Manager may setup additional accounts on the registered account for
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Prohibited Uses: You may use our Website, services, and products only for lawful purposes. You may not use our Website, services, or products in any manner that:
a) breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation; b) may in any way be considered harassment to another person or entity; c) may in any way, is unlawful or fraudulent, or has any unlawful or fraudulent purpose or effect; d) may in any way damage, disable, overburden, and/or impair the the Product server, or any network connected to the Product server, and/or interfere with any other party’s use or enjoyment of the Product; e) is in any way abusive, defamatory, misleading, fraudulent, pornographic or otherwise explicit in nature or written in bad faith; f) harms or attempts to harm minors in any way; g) will reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any portion of the Product; or h) will abuse either verbally, physically, written or other abuse (including threats of abuse or retribution) of any Product customers, employees, members, or officers;
and any of the foregoing will result in immediate account termination.
You represent and warrant that You will not use the Product to upload, post, link to, email, transmit, or otherwise make available any material that contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy, or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or any telecommunications equipment. Nor will You post or distribute any computer program that damages, detrimentally interferes with, surreptitiously intercepts, or expropriates any system, data, or personal information. You further represent and warrant that You will not disrupt the functioning of the Website, in any manner.
Moderation: You understand and agree that although Form and Function Inc. is not required to moderate your use of the Product, it may in its sole judgment review and delete any content in whole or in part, for any reason whatsoever, which without limitation, violate these Terms or which might be offensive, illegal, or that might violate the rights, harm, or threaten the safety of others.
User Responsibility: You agree that You are solely responsible for any breach of your obligations under the Terms and for the consequences of any such breach. We have no responsibility to you or to any third party for such breaches or the consequences of such breaches (including losses or damage that we may incur).
You understand that when using the Product, You may come across material that You find objectionable, offensive or indecent and agree that You are using the Product at your own risk.
THIRD-PARTY LINKS
The Product may link to third-party websites or resources. Such links are provided as a convenience to You only and do not imply an endorsement, warranty or guarantee by us of any such linked Website or the company it purports to represent. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for their availability, accuracy, the related content, products or services. You are solely responsible for use of any such websites or resources and compliance with their policies. Should You elect to enter into a binding contract with any such website, You agree to hold us harmless and hereby release us from any liability whatsoever, whether arising out of contract, tort or otherwise, for any liability, claim, injury, loss or damage suffered as a result of your actions or the actions of any user associated with your account, offering to accept or having accepted any products or services that are available from those sites.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND RIGHTS
Rights to content provided by us: You acknowledge and understand that we own all right, title and interest in: (a) the Product and any associated data files; and (b) all computer software; advertisements; sponsored content; and intellectual property associated with the Product (all such information, individually and collectively, being the “Product Content”), which You may have access to when using the Product.
Except as set forth in the Agreement, all rights not expressly granted to You are reserved. You agree not to decipher, decompile, disassemble, reconstruct, translate, reverse engineer, or discover any of the intellectual property or ideas, algorithms, file formats, programming, or interoperability interfaces underlying the Product.You may not modify, rent, lease, loan, sell, distribute or create any derivative products or services (or parts of services products or services) based on the Product Content that You do not own or to which You have rights, or to create derivative works based on the Product. You may not infringe upon our intellectual property or adapt, reproduce, publish or distribute copies of any information or material found on the Product in any form (including by e-mail or other electronic means), without our prior written consent.
You are not required to provide Form and Function Inc. with any comments, suggestions, recommendations, requests or any other feedback (« Feedback »). In the event that you do provide Form and Function Inc. with Feedback, Form and Function Inc. may use such feedback to improve the Product or for any other purpose. Furthermore, Form and Function Inc. shall own such Feedback and Form and Function Inc. and its affiliates, licensees, clients, partners, third-party providers and other authorized entitled may use, license, distribute, reproduce and commercialize the Feedback, and You hereby assign, irrevocably, exclusively and on a royalty-free basis, all such Feedback to Form and Function Inc.
Rights to content provided by you: Form and Function Inc. does not retain any right, title and interest to the information provided, inputted or uploaded to the Product (“User Data”). You understand and agree that the ownership of User Data shall be decided amongst yourself and your employer, if applicable, and that your User Data may be available to your employer even after the termination of your account with the Product. You agree that You will defend, indemnify and hold harmless us and our officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents and representatives, from and against any and all claims, damages, judgments, liability, costs and expenses (including without limitation any reasonable legal fees), in whole or in part arising out of or attributable to the ownership of User Data.
You also understand that in order for us to operate the Product, User Data may be transmitted by You or us over various public networks and in various media in compliance with our security protocols and we may make changes to User Data to meet the technological requirements of such networks and media. You are responsible for ensuring that User Data is protected and your rights in User Data are enforced; we have no responsibility to protect or enforce your rights on your behalf with respect to User Data.
At any time and up to 90 days after your termination with Form and Function Inc., You may request a copy of all of your User Data from the Product (“Data Dump”). You understand and agree that after the expiration of 90 days after your termination with Form and Function Inc., your User Data will be permanently deleted and You will no longer have access to such Data Dump.
DISCLAIMERS
The Product provided as-is: The Product is provided “as-is” without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied. You acknowledge, agree and understand that You use the Product at your own risk. We will have no responsibility for any harm to your computer system, loss or corruption of data, or other harm that results from your access to or use of the Product.
Downtime: The Product may be temporarily unavailable from time to time for maintenance or other reasons. We assume no responsibility for any error, inaccuracy, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, any communications between You and the Product.
No endorsement as to accuracy: We accept no responsibility for the accuracy of any User Data provided by or created using the Product except as otherwise set out in these Terms. The provision or storageof User Data through the Product does not constitute our endorsement or warranty as to the compliance of such User Data with applicable privacy legislation, nor to the accuracy, timeliness, materiality, completeness, or reliability of such User Data. You are responsible for ensuring that that the information you have entered into our system is accurate, reliable and complete.
Ratings and reviews: We accept no responsibility or liability for any ratings or reviews of an employee posted to the Product, or any consequences as a result of the ratings or reviews of an employee, including but not limited to termination of an employee. Ratings and reviews posted to the Product DO NOT reflect our views.
Monitoring: We do not accept any liability for monitoring the Website or for unauthorized or unlawful content on the Website or use of the Website by users..
No warranty as to non-infringement: Except in the manner provided for in these Terms, we disclaim, and expressly do not provide any direct or indirect, express or implied representation or warranty as to title and non-infringement of intellectual property in relation to the Product.
Damage to hardware: Any material downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of our services and products is done at your own discretion and risk, and You will be solely responsible for anydamage to your computer system or other device or loss of data that results from the download of any such material.
Content provided to companies: If You are an individual providing User Data that is to be directed to your organization’s account, You agree and acknowledge that we accept no responsibility and are not liable for any damages that may arise by the organization’s use of that User Data. You further agree and acknowledge that we are not liable for any damages that may arise if the User Data is misdirected to the wrong organization due to any reason, including error on your part or a flaw in the Product.
DATA RETENTION
The Product may store your data as long as your account is current and active and for 250 days after our relationship with you has been terminated.
On a regular basis we create a backup of all data in our system, which is retained for 90 days, after which it will be removed permanently from all our systems. This backup is for use by Form and Function Inc. only in the case of disaster recovery or to maintain business operations in the case of an emergency. Form and Function Inc. will not restore data unless it determines, in its sole discretion that a data recovery is necessary.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
You hereby agree to release, remise and forever discharge us and our directors, employees, officers, and our affiliates, partners, service providers, vendors, and contractors and each of their respective agents, directors, officers, employees, and all other related persons or entities from any and all manner of rights,losses, costs, claims, complaints, demands, debts, damages, causes of action, proceedings, liabilities, obligations, legal fees, costs and disbursements of any nature whatsoever, and for any special, indirect or consequential, incidental or exemplary damages (collectively, a “Claim”), whether in contract or tort, whether known or unknown, which now or hereafter arise from, to the maximum extent allowed by law, that relate to, or are connected with:
a) any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages, including but not limited to damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use data, bodily injury, or other intangible losses; b) your provision of any personal information provided to us subject to our legal requirements relating to the protection of personal information; c) communications received to you through your access to the Product; d) the posting of information on the Product, Website, blog, account or any affiliated social media, including but not limited to, User data, Cards, written reviews, pictures, or personal information; e) the use of the Product and any related applications including third party services; f) the use of any software related to the Product; g) viruses, spyware, service provider failures or internet access interruptions; h) loss of use, loss of data, inaccuracy of data, payment failure, payment defect, inaccurate calculations, downtime, identity theft, fraud or unauthorized access; or i) any content relating to the use of the Product,
even if you have been advised of the possibility of such Claim, or such Claim was reasonably foreseeable and notwithstanding the sufficiency or insufficiency of any remedy provided for herein or in any license.
In the event that we become liable for any damages whatsoever, you agree that such damages shall be limited in the aggregate to the amount of fees or charges which You have paid for the Product in the previous invoice.
