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Serge Perrot (Rheumatologist and director of the Pain Study and Treatment Center of the Cochin-Hôtel Dieu Hospital group)
Like an invisible scar, a trauma experienced in childhood could have physical repercussions throughout life, as established by a study on the subject. Professor Serge Perrot, pain specialist, returns for Doctissimo to the link that exists between the brain and the body.
Childhood trauma, even when well hidden in the past, often manages to manifest itself in other ways. According to a publication in the journal European Journal of Psychotraumatology there is even a frequent link between negative childhood experiences and the appearance of chronic pain in adulthood.
45% more likely to experience chronic pain
Much more than a simple supposition, this observation is based on the analysis of all studies on the subject over the last 75 years, covering more than 826,000 adults. According to data, people who suffered sexual abuse, physical or psychological violence, or even neglect during their childhood are 45% more likely to suffer from chronic pain as adults. And the more negative experiences a person has had, the higher their risk of developing persistent pain. These pains broadly cover musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel, pelvic pain, headaches and migraines.
And why this link? André Bussières, professor at the origin of the publication, raises a question, that of modification in brain functioning, with a question: do traumas alter the brain?
Pain formed from childhood
Consulted on the subject, Professor Serge Perrot, director of the Pain Study and Treatment Center of the Cochin-Hôtel Dieu Hospital Group in Paris, confirms this same rate in his patient population: approximately 30 to 5% of people consulting the pain center. pain experienced childhood trauma”sexual trauma, but not only that, they are also difficult times in foster care, an accident, the loss of a loved one, an illness…” Life episodes that make the brain vulnerable as the individual develops,”and anything that undermines the integrity of the body and the connection that we each have with our body will leave traces for the rest of our lives.” he explains.
Thus, chronic pain occurs in certain cases: “When there is pain, either it is the result of an illness, a lesion, a metastasis, or it affects the brain, but very often it affects the link between the body and the brain. And pain that reawakens, even 20 or 30 years after a trauma, can however be linked to it.
“As I explain to my patients, having pain is a link between the brain and the body that is disrupted. And this bad link, we must find its cause. This includes sometimes going back into the pass”.
The importance of asking the patient the right questions
Going back to the past, understanding the connection, is not an easy task. The good news is that this study, like the professor’s observation, also opens up another therapeutic perspective for the suffering patient: that of rediscovering a peaceful connection with their body, and working on their trauma.
“this means that when we discover this, we must not focus directly on medications, but help the patient to regain the link with his body. But we must go very slowly, start with a very simple open question “do you experienced difficult things in childhood”, a sentence which allows us to gather a lot of things”.
Unfortunately, our expert recognizes, doctors are not sufficiently trained in this. “When I see patients who have pain, who have seen many doctors, rheumatologists, and there is not a single one who has asked the question of the past, this means that we have perhaps dissected medical history, but we can’t simply ask “what have you been through?”
With the number of people today suffering from chronic pain and prescriptions for painkillers, it would undoubtedly be useful to add this request to the list of common questions.