What is desensitization therapy? How it works and best techniques

Ever bumped a bruise and felt a sharp pain, even days after the initial injury? Or had a sunburn and felt the sting again when you stepped in the shower? This heightened sensitivity is a common response to injury, as your body tries to protect the affected painful area. Pain is a protective mechanism that helps prevent further harm. This is why an area often feels more sensitive after an injury or surgery.

But sometimes your pain system can become overly sensitive and continue to send pain signals even after healing. This is called hypersensitivity. 

Here, learn more about what causes hypersensitivity and how to treat it with desensitization techniques and guidance from our Hinge Health physical therapists.

What causes hypersensitivity?

Hypersensitivity is when a part of your body becomes more sensitive to touch, temperature, or pressure. It’s common to have areas of hypersensitivity that make even light touch uncomfortable after an injury or surgery.

Hypersensitivity can sometimes be due to changes in your nervous system after injury. Nerves irritated by swelling and inflammation can cause burning, tingling, or other unwelcome sensations. These sensations are often a normal part of the healing process. 

Hypersensitivity can be uncomfortable and even scary, but with the right approach, it usually gets better over the course of a few weeks or months. Desensitization therapy is one approach that can help.

What is desensitization?

Desensitization therapy uses touch (and other strategies such as visualization) to retrain your nervous system to turn down the alarm for your hypersensitive area. There are many different types of desensitization techniques, but they all involve gradual stimulation of a sensitive area to reduce your sensitivity over time. 

The goal is to change how your nervous system interprets the sensation so that it no longer causes extreme discomfort. Desensitization teaches your nervous system to associate touch with relaxation instead of pain.

Desensitization techniques

Desensitization techniques build your tolerance for stimulus by practicing with a variety of sensations. Most people get desensitization guidance from a physical therapist or occupational therapist, but you can also start using desensitization techniques on your own. 

For surgical scar desensitization, you may be able to start desensitization techniques as soon as the incision line has completely closed, with no signs of redness or infection. Check with your provider before starting. 

Here are a few key points to keep in mind:

• Keep it short and frequent. Desensitization techniques work best when practiced for short periods (three to five minutes) several times a day.

• Concentration is key. To help retrain your brain, it’s important to pay attention to the sensations you experience. Look at the sensitive area and focus on what you are feeling while practicing.

• Focus on relaxation. It can be challenging to relax when a sensation causes pain. However, using breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques while practicing desensitization can help.

• Visualization: Visualization exercises involve using your mind to imagine different scenarios or sensations. For pain management, you can imagine the sensation in a way that feels comfortable or pain-free. This calms your nervous system and helps your brain learn to process the sensation differently, making it easier to handle over time.

Here are a few approaches you can try:

Graded exposure

• Gather a variety of objects with different textures. Cotton, silk, terry cloth, fleece, wool, or corduroy cloth are good choices. You might also consider a soft nail brush, a velcro object, a plastic comb, or other items as your tolerance increases. If your sensitive area is a hand or a foot, fill a bowl with sand or dry beans for a different type of sensation.

• Begin with light touch and the softest items. Starting with the softest item and the lightest pressure, rub your area of hypersensitivity for 30 to 60 seconds. (If your sensitive area is too painful for any touch, start by touching the opposite side of your body and imagine how that touch would feel in the sensitive area.)

• Focus. Look at the object while rubbing and focus on the sensation. Some discomfort is okay, but don’t try to push past extreme discomfort. Try to stay relaxed and breathe normally. 

• Gradually increase the intensity with firmer touch, pressure, rougher textures, and different temperatures and repeat for another 30 to 60 seconds as your tolerance increases.

• Progress to a total of three to five minutes at a time. Repeat this process several times a day.

Massage

Gentle massage can help get a sensitive area accustomed to touch. You can try self-massage or ask someone for help. Vary the firmness of the massage and experiment with different types of touch, such as patting, stroking, and circular movements. You can use a lotion or massage oil, but make sure it doesn’t irritate your skin. Tools like an empty plastic water bottle, mini-massager, lint roller, or the barrel of an automatic toothbrush can provide different sensations.

Focused awareness

You can also build desensitization techniques into your day with focused awareness during routine activities, such as:

• Noticing the touch of your sheets while in bed. 

• Concentrating on the sensations of clothes on your skin while dressing. 

• Paying attention to the feeling of water on your skin while bathing. 

• Noticing the sensations of different temperatures and textures while washing your hands or cooking.

How physical therapy can help with desensitization

Physical therapy can play a key role in helping you manage hypersensitivity and improve function. A physical therapist can create a customized desensitization plan based on your specific condition, provide professional guidance to ensure proper technique, and guide you through a progressive program that gradually increases sensation intensity. 

They can also incorporate other pain management techniques like heat, cold, and electrical stimulation, and offer education and support to help you understand and manage your condition. 

You can see a physical therapist in person or use a program like Hinge Health, where you may access a PT via telehealth/video visit.

How Hinge Health can help you

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app when and where it works for you.

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

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