There have been claims of this by commenters, but only anecdotal evidence given. Last I checked, the accepted/preferred scientific explanation was "central sensitization," though I couldn't find an experiment showing chronic sensitization exists. (Lots with decerebrated mice who were immediately euthanized, though, going back to the 1980s, if I remember correctly.) Psychosomatization, to the best of my knowledge, is non-falsifiable and conditions have been misattributed to it in the past. It hasn't yet been replicated, so far as I know, but there was a clever experiment published 18 months ago that may prove fibromyalgia (one of the chronic pain conditions most commonly regarded as psychosomatic) is actually an auto-immune disorder, which would be a big blow to "psychosomatization of the gaps" proponents. (E.G., The "Unlearn Your Pain" author.)
Is this just a case of Scott making an off-hand comment and others running with it beyond what the evidence can support?
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Notes -
No new evidence, but an anecdote.
I hurt my right ring finger badly (A2 pulley- climbing) last October, and it has been a long recovery process. Lately however, I have started noticing pain in that exact same location on my left finger, and nowhere else.
Now, I haven't climbed in months, and have been resting all my fingers since. If anything, this is the most relaxed my fingers have been in years. It's almost like my brain can't tell which side the pain signal is coming front, mixed it up, and instead perceives phantom pain signals from the wrong side of the body, but that exact same location - mirrored. When I try to use my 'phantom hurting' right finger, I can still load it up to full capacity and have full mobility in it. Funnily enough, this is also the least pain my actually hurt finger has been in, but that's to be expected given the careful recovery process.
From my datapoint of 1, I have to conclude that some pain is indeed, psychosomatic.
disclaimer - it could also be carpal tunnel / RSI due to overuse. I have been doing 70+ hr work weeks. But, I'd expect it to affect my other fingers too.
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