The pain of syringomyelia can be radicular, dysesthetic (a constant burning sensation), or associated with trophic changes and hypersensitivity. Serious for most patients, for some, the pain becomes "an overwhelming and pervasive symptom that over-shadows other complaints". Analgesics and neuropathic pain medications, while frequently prescribed, are not very effective.
As reported in Western Chesterfield Exchange, pet therapy helps 11 year-old Kimberley Spiroff cope with the pain of the Chiari malformation and syringomyelia:
“I don’t really feel the pain as much as before. Before, I really didn’t have anything to think about. But now, I have her there; and if I’m in a lot of pain, I have her crawl up to me and fall asleep or something and I don’t really realize that I’m in pain.”
Research on the mechanism on pain reduction with pet therapy is limited. A study of 25 children with post-surgical pain found significant reduction in pain perception following a pet therapy session, specifically canine visitation therapy (CVT). The authors concluded, "One mechanism that makes CVT effective may be cognitive. That is, CVT distracts children from pain-related cognition and possibly activates comforting thoughts regarding companionship or home."
We generally have a casual attitude about distraction: it is something that gets our mind off of something else. But what of its neurophysiology? If, as Gerald Edelman writes, consciousness is
•"entailed by reentrant activity among cortical areas and the thalamus" (called the dynamic core), and
•"the number of possible pathways of such a structure far exceeds the number of elementary particles in the known universe", and
• the "reentrant signal paths constantly change with the speed of thought",
then "distraction", or other external input, may function by shifting the balance in the dynamic core and creating a different sense of self at the time.
The sensory and emotional input from the companionship in pet therapy, together with an individuals related memories and brain value state, combine to change the neurophysiological state. Thus, "distraction" can be an effective mechanism to temporarily change the brain state; in the current case - decreasing the influence of pain on the dynamic core, and thus on consciousness.
Regardless, Kimberly's experience shows pet therapy may benefit others suffering from Chiari and syringomyelia and should be considered an option for improving the quality of life.
If you are a pet therapy specialist working with persons with neurological disorders, or you have Chiari and/or syringomyelia and experience with pet therapy, please send your comments to chiaritimes@mac.com
Posted byJohn Oro', MD
The pain of syringomyelia can be radicular, dysesthetic (a constant burning sensation), or associated with trophic changes and hypersensitivity. Serious for most patients, for some, the pain becomes "an overwhelming and pervasive symptom that over-shadows other complaints". Analgesics and neuropathic pain medications, while frequently prescribed, are not very effective.
As reported in Western Chesterfield Exchange, pet therapy helps 11 year-old Kimberley Spiroff cope with the pain of the Chiari malformation and syringomyelia:
“I don’t really feel the pain as much as before. Before, I really didn’t have anything to think about. But now, I have her there; and if I’m in a lot of pain, I have her crawl up to me and fall asleep or something and I don’t really realize that I’m in pain.”
Research on the mechanism on pain reduction with pet therapy is limited. A study of 25 children with post-surgical pain found significant reduction in pain perception following a pet therapy session, specifically canine visitation therapy (CVT). The authors concluded, "One mechanism that makes CVT effective may be cognitive. That is, CVT distracts children from pain-related cognition and possibly activates comforting thoughts regarding companionship or home."
We generally have a casual attitude about distraction: it is something that gets our mind off of something else. But what of its neurophysiology? If, as Gerald Edelman writes, consciousness is
•"entailed by reentrant activity among cortical areas and the thalamus" (called the dynamic core), and
•"the number of possible pathways of such a structure far exceeds the number of elementary particles in the known universe", and
• the "reentrant signal paths constantly change with the speed of thought",
then "distraction", or other external input, may function by shifting the balance in the dynamic core and creating a different sense of self at the time.
The sensory and emotional input from the companionship in pet therapy, together with an individuals related memories and brain value state, combine to change the neurophysiological state. Thus, "distraction" can be an effective mechanism to temporarily change the brain state; in the current case - decreasing the influence of pain on the dynamic core, and thus on consciousness.
Regardless, Kimberly's experience shows pet therapy may benefit others suffering from Chiari and syringomyelia and should be considered an option for improving the quality of life.
If you are a pet therapy specialist working with persons with neurological disorders, or you have Chiari and/or syringomyelia and experience with pet therapy, please send your comments to chiaritimes@mac.com
Posted byJohn Oro', MD