Description
Pain can outlast the injury that caused it. In episode 1 of The Science of Pain, we look at how your brain can learn chronic pain and keep producing it long after your body has healed.
🎬 This series brings pain science to life with practical effects, using mannequins, projections and real medical props in ways you haven’t seen before.
🧠 The Science of Pain is a new 6-part series from Healthline, with new episodes every other Monday. We hear from people living with pain and the scientists working to understand it.
▶️ Watch the full series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCwNwg5UrNxU
🔔 Subscribe so you don’t miss Episode 2 on Monday 11/2/26: https://www.youtube.com/@HealthlineMedia?sub_confirmation=1
⚡ Pain starts as a signal. Touch a hot stove and you pull your hand back before you even feel anything. That’s your spine reacting faster than your brain. When pain becomes chronic, something more complicated happens. The brain begins to remember pain and learn it, and it can keep producing the feeling long after the original damage has healed.
🔁 The pain becomes a learned pattern, and it’s just as real as the original injury.
❓ What would it mean to live without pain at all? It’s not the gift you might think..
CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold Open
00:12 Show Intro
00:34 Living With Chronic Pain: Ryan's Story
01:14 What Is Pain?
01:38 Acute Pain: Why You Pull Away From a Hot Stove
02:35 Ryan's Story, Continued
03:13 Chronic Pain: How the Brain Learns Pain
03:51 Ryan's Story, Part 3
04:21 Can You Live Without Feeling Pain?
05:03 Ryan's Story, Conclusion
05:59 Coming Up in Episode 2
EXPERTS IN THIS EPISODE
Elizabeth Reynolds Losin, PhD — Social and Cultural Neuroscientist; Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University
Kiran V. Patel, MD — Director of Pain Medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital, Northwell Health; Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine
Daniel Cogan, NP — Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner
CREDITS
Directors: Sam Marine & Stephanie Strauss
Producers: Sam Marine & Stephanie Strauss
Director of Photography: Garret Harkawik https://www.youtube.com/@garretharkawik
Practical Effects / Art Direction: Sam Marine & Garret Harkawik
Editor: Rick Beck
Finishing Editor / Motion Graphics: Garret Harkawik https://www.youtube.com/@garretharkawik
Associate Producers: David Levitt, Jason Rawls
B-Cam: Matt Kohn
Gaffers: Tymon Brown, John Lindell
Art PAs: Erika Sharp, Hank West
Special Thanks: Stefi Giangrasso, Elaine White, Tim Mojica, Sam Sabawi, Tom Placke
Archival footage: Getty Images; public domain sources
EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS
To Ryan M for sharing his story with us.
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Healthline content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice. See a licensed medical professional for diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Opinions expressed in this video may not reflect those of Healthline Media.
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