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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2013 Dec 27;0:61–78. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.12.006

Figure 4. Pain Progression – Complex interactions leading to maladaptive changes and system failure (allostatic load).

Figure 4

The upper part of the figure shows the loss of energy in a bouncing ball – after a while all potential/kinetic energy (height, h) diminishes over time. The comparison is similar for chronic pain (middle figure) where normal function evolves to diminished normal or increased aberrant or abnormal function. Multiple changes in brain function (altered networks, see Figure 6) occur over time following injury as shown in the lower part of the figure where there is a sequential alteration in function (physiological and psychological) that eventually leads to maladaptive changes and system failure.