This is a common misconception, that pain indicates damage or injury, but this is not always the case. It’s understandable why people would think like this, because this is what we are taught to believe. For example, you turn your ankle, or stub your toe and you feel pain. Naturally you would think that this is a sign of some damage to local tissues/structures, which then trigger pain impulses to the brain.
If this is always true, why can we feel pain when we have not injured ourselves?
For example, we feel neck or back pain after sitting for a prolonged periods or a trivial action like reaching for a towel causes severe back pain?
How is this possible if pain = damage? This is confusing.
What The Research Shows
The research tells a different story:
One study ( Brinjiki et al) showed a high rate of ‘pathology’ in lower back MRIs in over 3000 subjects without any pain or dysfunction – and this was in people ranging from 20 to 80 years old.
In the shoulder, many studies have painted a very similar picture. One study (Grisih et al) found that a remarkable 96% of subjects who reported no pain or issues had at least one identifiable ‘pathology’ on their ultrasound scan.
So you can see that tissue damage does not lead to pain in many cases, and pain can arise without evidence of tissue damage. How is this so?
The general understanding of pain and injury needs to be updated so that people can overcome pain more easily and get back to living their (best) lives.
A New Understanding of Pain
The new understanding of pain is that it is an output signal created by the brain, as a warning sign. It can be out of proportion to the injury. This serves to change behaviour to prevent further damage, which is often required to fix the problem.
The issue is that most people don’t understand this, and remain stuck with a painful condition because they are fearful to move in case it causes more tissue damage. The problem with this is that people are thinking about local structures, not the whole body. There are compensations and protective mechanisms that can develop in other areas of the body that can contribute to your pain…. Where your pain is located is not necessarily where it comes from.
For example, someone can get knee pain because they had a recent back pain episode that affected the way they walked. The back pain improved, but the knee persisted because of secondary protective mechanisms that have not resolved.
A Whole Body Approach
This is why we look at the whole body and how it works together. We want be as thorough as we can and find all the contributors, both local and remote for your pain. This will enable you to get back to the things you love doing without the pain you have been suffering.
We use a 7 step process that will find the main drivers of your pain and fix them quickly. It is scientific, objective and based on the latest neuroscience research.
If you’re not open to a new understanding of pain, you will remain stuck and restricted by your pain and fear of movement. Are you really willing to let your pain dictate your quality of life?
Or are you looking for a new approach to regain your lifestyle, independence and get on top of your pain long term?
If you’re ready to take control of your life, book an initial consultation with us. We’d love to help you!
References
Brinjikji W et al; Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015 Apr;36(4):811-6. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A4173. Epub 2014 Nov 27.
Girish G et al; Ultrasound of the shoulder: asymptomatic findings in men. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2011 Oct;197(4):W713-9. doi: 10.2214/AJR.11.6971