I think we’ve both been taught the same thing, but I never took the time to imagine it that way! Lol, Beach visualizations don’t really work for me either, not for when I’m actually in pain anyway.

That’s a great reminds though that pain is a message sent from the brain, based on an interpretation that something, somewhere is a threat—and sometimes it gets that calculation wrong or gets stuck on high alert.

I try to remind myself while it’s important to treat a different root cause of pain if there is one and we can find one, we all have the ability to address the pathways of pain and try to close them off, whether that’s with visualization or other means. But I also feel it’s hard to come around to accepting or acknowledging that, and not everyone’s ready. It’s not really the cure people want.

I’m glad that even if I was skeptical, I in the end trusted my PT. What else did I have to lose? Thanks for sharing that.

Thanks for sharing your experience. My PT hasn’t suggested anything like that since I don’t have a lot of pain, just numbness. She mostly concentrates on balance since my feet are numb. I am flummoxed by the nerve tingling, the cold then sensory numbness that follows. This now happens even at rest when I flex my foot or toes. It makes you reluctant to even move. I’m experiencing it sitting down on the front porch while writing this response.

Good morning @centre. Thank you for helping other members learn about their condition. You must have great knowledge and understanding as an OT. Both of my MFR therapists are OTs.

Now for my question. I have recently gone through a lot of tests to try to determine why I was experiencing significantly elevated pain and more frequent leg "give-ways". I was told that my SFN was caused by severe radiculopathy following accidents and surgeries. Is that what you mean by "abrupt neuropathy"?

May you be safe, protected and free from inner and outer harm.
Chris

@centre and @artscaping, thank you for pointing out the differences between radiculopathy and peripheral neuropathy.

For the sake of others in this discussion, I found this information to be clarifying:

Radiculopathy falls under the larger umbrella of neuropathy. The symptoms of peripheral neuropathy overlap with radiculopathy and include pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling.

From Johns Hopkins https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/radiculopathy#:~:text=Radiculopathy%20Versus%20Neuropathy&text=Peripheral%20neuropathy%20is%20the%20damage,in%20the%20wrist%20and%20hand.
"Radiculopathy symptoms may overlap with those of peripheral neuropathy, making it difficult to pinpoint the source of the problem. Peripheral neuropathy is the damage of the peripheral nervous system... . Radiculopathy is the pinching of the nerves at the root, which sometimes can also produce pain, weakness and numbness .... Consult a spine specialist for an accurate diagnosis."

@centre I appreciate your use of quotation marks around some of the phrases in your post, such as explosion and pathways, to underline that these are visualizations that can be helpful for some people to manage chronic pain.
When I had frozen shoulder, I learned the difference between acute and chronic pain, and the role the brain plays when dealing with chronic pain. It was explained to me when I had frozen shoulder that chronic pain I had was no longer due to my original injury. I, too, had to trust my PT that I could safely do the exercises she recommended to help with my recovery.

Here's a good article on the difference between acute and chronic pain.
- Acute vs. Chronic Pain https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/12051-acute-vs-chronic-pain