There is no doubt that pain can be debilitating. Pain is big business when you consider the number of pain clinics around the country and the myriad of pain killers on the market. But is pain really the problem? Or is it something else?
What is Pain?
First off, we need to understand what pain is. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” So pain is an experience meaning it is subjective and relative to each person (what is painful to one person may not bother someone else). Also pain is associated with “actual or potential tissue damage” meaning it is basically a response to something that damages the body or could cause damage.
Pain really is just a symptom. It is an indication that something is wrong. Pain is actually quite useful because it helps to alert us to an injury or other problem and encourages us to take action. Is it possible to have tissue damage without pain? Yes. But is it possible to have pain without tissue damage or potential tissue damage? In general no, but there are some conditions in which people experience pain from something that would normally be considered non-painful. However, even in these cases, there is still some underlying problem that causes the abnormal sensation of pain.
Only Treating Pain
So what would happen if we treat pain as the only problem? Let’s go through a possible example. You are out running and you sprain your ankle. Now you have some moderate pain in your ankle. The pain is most likely from the ligaments in the ankle being stretched and possibly some tearing of the fibers. What do most people do when they have some pain? You pop a few pain pills and go on your way. Now the ankle doesn’t feel so bad and you can go about your business. Problem solved, right?
Well, unfortunately the pain killers do not do much to address the real cause of the pain – the injured ankle. While walking around on the sprained ankle, it is very likely that you are doing more damage to it. This is because the ankle is more unstable than it would normally be, and you have dulled your senses to the pain. So it is likely that you may do some more damage to the area without being aware of it since the pain has been dulled.
Pain and Chiropractic
Now there is nothing wrong with trying to alleviate pain, but if nothing is done to address the actual cause of the pain, this is a problem. Back pain, neck pain, and headaches are common types of pain that people experience, but what is the underlying cause of the pain? The pain can be caused by many things, but one that is commonly missed is misalignments of the spine. While often these misalignments can cause pain, a bigger issue is that they can also interfere with how well your nerves function. Chiropractors are highly trained doctors to help correct misalignments of the spine allowing the nerves to function better and often alleviating much or all of the pain.
So the next time you experience pain, consider what is the cause of the pain and what are you going to do to address the cause rather than just the pain. If you would like help in finding and treating the cause of your pain, contact our office today.
