Graded Motor Imagery (GMI) is a technique for relieving chronic pain by rewiring the brain. No matter where in the body pain is felt or what injury is causing the pain, pain is actually a product of the brain. The brain analyzes signals from the body and decides whether to interpret these signals as pain. It is the way our nervous system tells us to to protect our body or to pay attention to an injured part of our body. This is true of everyone, in every situation (with the exception of a small percentage of people who have a genetic inability to feel pain, and who seldom live to adulthood). Pain signals from our brain are necessary to keep us healthy and safe, just like our immune system is necessary to fight off viruses and bacteria.
However, sometimes the brain becomes hypersensitive and overprotective, and produces pain that continues to limit movement and activity even though the body has healed from an injury. This oversensitivity is similar to severe allergies, where the immune system that normally protects us from harmful germs instead overreacts to something that is not really dangerous, causing a severe allergic reaction that can even be deadly (for example, a severe allergy to peanuts). The more severe an injury or condition is, the longer it lasts, and the more anxious we are about it, the more practice the brain gets at producing a painful response to the information coming into our nervous system. This is a common response to many different types of injuries and conditions. This can happen to anyone if the conditions are right.
Graded Motor Imagery (GMI) is useful for treating conditions such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), chronic back pain, chronic neck pain, phantom limb pain, and some cases of dystonia.
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For more information on how GMI may be able to help you, please contact us or request an appointment.
The CDC reports that 50 million Americans have suffered from chronic pain in the past six months,1 with chronic pain defined as pain every day or on most days. Pain interferes with your ability to think and concentrate. It affects how you move your body and what activities you are Read more
Pain signals are necessary for keeping us healthy and safe – it’s our nervous system’s way of telling us that we need to protect our body or pay attention to a part of our body that may be injured. However, researchers have found that when pain persists over time, the Read more