September is Pain Awareness Month, a time to challenge the common assumption that pain always signals physical injury or damage. But what happens when an injury has healed—or there is no clear injury—yet the pain remains? According to Dr. Anderson, a neurologist and Chief Medical Officer of Lin Health, sometimes the pain itself is the disease.
"Pain is always real, but it doesn't always mean there is ongoing damage in the body," says Dr. Anderson. "Sometimes, the brain and nervous system can become stuck in a persistent pain-alarm loop, continuing to send danger signals long after an injury has healed, or when there is no injury at all."
This phenomenon is known as central sensitization, a condition where the brain and nervous system amplify pain signals. It plays a major role in chronic nociplastic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic migraine, sciatica, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Dr. Anderson likens it to a fire alarm that has become overly sensitive: "That high-pitched shriek is definitely real, but it may be going off when there isn't actually a fire."
The implications are significant. For millions of people with chronic pain, understanding that their pain may stem from a hypersensitive nervous system rather than ongoing tissue damage can be liberating. It shifts the focus from endlessly searching for a physical cause to addressing the underlying neural processes.
Dr. Anderson emphasizes that evidence-based approaches can help retrain the brain and nervous system. "The pain is very real, and the goal is to help the nervous system become less reactive to signals that it has learned to interpret as dangerous," he explains. This brain-first approach is central to Lin Health's virtual care model, which combines behavioral therapy, one-on-one coaching, and structured daily modules delivered through an interactive app—all medication-free.
Lin Health, founded in 2021, partners with leading health systems such as Mayo Clinic and WellSpan Health to deliver multidisciplinary care that addresses the biological, behavioral, and social drivers of chronic conditions. According to Dr. Anderson, this approach aligns with clinical guidelines but is rarely implemented effectively in traditional systems due to access limitations and clinician shortages. Lin Health bridges that gap with scalable, affordable care that is broadly covered by insurance.
For Pain Awareness Month, Dr. Anderson hopes to raise awareness about central sensitization. "Understanding why pain persists may open the door to more effective treatments," he says. For those suffering from chronic pain, this knowledge could be the first step toward recovery.
