From time to time, I will ask our practice members, “What if the sensation of pain did not exist?” If you have back pain or headaches or know someone who does, making the pain go away is a major goal. But what is the purpose of pain?
It turns out that there are some very important reasons why we’re equipped with the sense of pain. Dorland’s Medical Dictionary, used by many health professionals around the world, lists more than 34 different ones!
Pain causes you to pay attention to something that’s not working right. It’s a warning that a limit of some type has been reached; that the body is not equipped to or cannot adapt any further. After an injury occurs, damaged tissues send chemical and electrical signals to the brain to tell it that a problem has occurred. The brain interprets the signal and the brain then sends an electrical message along the nerve to the site of the injury which causes pain in the area. It’s the brains way of saying, “Hey, look what’s just happened here – You’re Hurt!”
So, in many ways, pain is a good thing. We get into trouble only when we misinterpret the pain, or think that we can simply make it go away without tending to its underlying cause.
Many people begin care in our office because of a painful symptom, and while we show our compassion, our primary interest is in the underlying cause of the pain. Numbing the body with drugs to hide the pain may be convenient, but it is expensive, in more ways than one. I often tell patients, “The shape you are in, determines the shape you are in”. That just means, the shape and integrity of your spine and the rest of your body determines your health, physical limitations, and your propensity toward injury or relapse. No drug will change the shape you’re in. Drugs can’t align a spine, un-pinch a nerve, strengthen muscles, or cure degenerative illnesses. Sure they may alleviate some symptoms or change your physiology temporarily, but once you stop taking them – guess what, you’re back at square one.
If you know people who regularly consult their medicine cabinets to deal with pain, urge them to consult our office. We promise to help identify the underlying cause of their problem, and offer safe and natural solutions to their bodies’ cry for help. Have them call our office at (239) 243-8735
today!