Chronic Pain as Learned Response

The piece argues many chronic pains are 'neuroplastic'—acquired pain circuits that persist without ongoing tissue damage—and can be unlearned with psychological methods (e.g., somatic tracking, breaking the fear‑pain cycle). It contends doctors over‑rely on incidental imaging findings, fueling misdiagnosis and ineffective procedures, while emerging protocols report large effect sizes. — If chronic pain is often learned rather than structural, policy and practice should pivot from surgeries and opioids to brain‑based rehabilitation, with big implications for costs, training, and patient outcomes.