When you see people in discomfort as regularly as we do, you have to come to grips with pain; what it is and the purpose behind it. Pain actually plays an extremely important role in the body. Read on — you may never look at pain the same way again.
Pain is the great communicator. When you experience pain, it’s a signal that something is wrong in the body. Things are out of balance, nerves are being irritated, muscles are strained, and organs aren’t functioning properly. While your first impulse is most likely to do whatever is necessary to alleviate the pain, you must first consider the message the body is sending. Your pain is a clue to a deeper problem. Taking a pill or smoothing on a lotion isn’t correcting the problem; it’s just covering it up temporarily, making it bearable, and allowing the issue to worsen as time passes. Your pain is sending you an important message; listen to it.
Does common mean normal? Often during a new patient’s examination I’ll question them further on various symptoms they may be experiencing based on my findings. The conversation often goes something like this:
Me: “Do you ever experience headaches?”
Patient: “Well, yes, but no more than normal?”
I understand that headaches are a common complaint (Note: They don’t have to be). However, please don’t confuse “common” with “normal”. While pain is a natural response from the body to alert you of a problem, being in pain is not normal and for most isn’t something that needs to be endured, tolerated or managed.
No pain equals health. Sorry, but the absence of pain doesn’t mean you’re free of structural or functional disturbances that require attention. 90% of our nervous system is programmed for function, 10% is programmed to detect and feel pain. Being pain-free may simply mean you don’t have sensory pain nerves being triggered at this time. Serious back and neck issues can go on for years creating permanent damage without pain or symptom just like cavities, heart disease, and cancer often do. Don’t assume because there is no pain that your body is functioning optimally. A regular schedule of chiropractic adjustments is the only way to ensure your spine is aligned and your body is experiencing peak performance.
The nervous system is the key to living pain-free. Your nervous system is what registers and transmits pain messages. Your nervous system is also the primary director of your entire physical and mental/emotional functioning. It allows you to perceive and respond to your environment.
Your spinal cord and nerves travel through and anchor into your spine for protection. Injuries and excessive stresses distort your spine and alter your nervous system communication. This sabotages your health, sometimes silently and other times painfully. It is extremely important not to put your focus on whether you feel pain or not, but rather to get your spinal structure and nerve system function evaluated as early in life as possible, as well as whenever you have pain or illness. And, once you know your condition, follow through with any necessary corrections to restore function so you can return to optimal self-regulation and healing.
Is it ever too late? The bad news is, it’s often later than you think when it comes to your health status and your ability to turn around a condition that has been building serious momentum in the wrong direction for a long time. We’ve had many patients with chronic issues assume they could and should be able to be restored to a healthy pain-free state within days to a couple of weeks (with their limited few insurance-paid visits). The good news is, we’ve had as many with those same conditions assume that it was too late to get better, only to be pleasantly surprised (and relieved).
As we like to say, “The impossible just takes a little longer”. If you or someone you know is suffering with pain, thinking they’ve tried everything, they have another option — to visit our office for a complete evaluation so we can seek the source of the pain and offer a natural and long-lasting solution. Please share this article with everyone you know who is suffering with pain using any of the social media buttons below.
