What Actually Causes Pain?
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 15 hours ago
Written by Lisa Decker, Owner of Aligned Fitness
Lisa Decker has been in the field of posture alignment and biomechanics for 20+ years and has helped thousands of people free themselves from chronic pain. She is the owner of Aligned Fitness Posture Therapy & Qigong in San Jose, CA, where she specializes in many areas of holistic wellness.
Research has shown that stenosis, bulging discs, and arthritis are not what cause pain. In fact, you can take two people with the same structural abnormalities as shown on an MRI, and one will have pain and one will not. Why do you think that is? Furthermore, why do some people with chronic pain not show any structural damage? This generates the question, “What truly causes pain?”
Healed in an hour?
I have witnessed clients assert their knee pain is due to a lack of cartilage, or their shoulder pain is due to a rotator cuff tear. However, we relieve the pain within an hour. Did the structural abnormality heal within 60 minutes? Probably not. What is more likely is that we realigned their joints and released muscular tension patterns, allowing blood and oxygen to flow to the painful areas.
Limitations of our medical system
Western medicine saves lives and is amazing at treating emergencies. It has a vital place in our healthcare system. However, it also has limitations. Our medical system treats symptoms. However, I've found treating the site of pain alone often does not provide long-term relief. Doctors may prescribe injections, medications, or, in extreme cases, surgery, and the pain may get better for a period of time, but most often it continues to persist in one form or another.
Pain begins in the brain
Although chronic pain manifests in the body, our brain learns protective mechanisms stemming from past experiences, and these signals can get activated and stuck even when danger is no longer present. The more often a certain type of pain is triggered, the easier it becomes for the brain to replicate it. An example of this is phantom limb pain. Amputees report pain in a limb that’s not there. There is obviously no physical damage triggering the pain, and it would prove difficult to apply treatments to an area that’s not present. Yet doctors have found ways to trick the brain and alleviate the pain.
Emotions and pain
Emotions can also have a powerful physiological response. In fact, they can cause panic attacks so severe they mimic a heart attack. Prolonged emotional stress results in muscular tension, which then affects our posture, further restricting blood and oxygen flow. We must recognize that these changes in posture, muscular restriction, nerve firing, breathing, and blood flow can be both physiological and psychological in nature.
Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)
John Sarno, a former professor of rehabilitation medicine at New York University School of Medicine, helped many people in chronic pain that doctors using standard treatments alone could not. Sarno speaks of a psychological condition causing symptoms such as back pain, migraines, fibromyalgia, and gastrointestinal problems. He calls it Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS).
Defense mode
Sarno found that if one has an experience that feels emotionally unsafe, the brain goes into a protective defense mode. The nervous system responds by entering a state of reduced blood flow (ischemia), constricting the blood vessels. Ultimately, this can lead to physical pain, numbness, weakness, headaches, or digestive issues. Under prolonged emotional stress, the vessels that bring blood to the arteries need to be constricted only a small amount to cause oxygen deprivation and begin a cycle of chronic pain. The brain can then become wired to trigger a pain response even when the initial issue is resolved.
Immune response
Our bodies are complex systems that run on an intelligence designed to keep us alive at any cost. If an infection or toxin enters the body, our immune system gets triggered into a similar defense mode. Think about when you are sick with the flu. Your body gets achy and painful. However, there is no acute structural issue causing these symptoms. When our immune system is activated, our energy is directed to fight infection, utilizing blood, oxygen, and lots of our body's energy. This ultimately can lead to pain at the body's weakest link. Just like the brain, the immune system can get stuck in a chronic inflammatory cycle even when danger is no longer present. Hence, it's important to maintain functional alignment, mobility, and strength to ensure we have fewer weak links in the body where pain can set in.
Previous injuries and compensatory patterns
TMS and autoimmune issues are certainly not responsible for all pain. They're not responsible for broken bones, torn ligaments, and other acute injuries, although you may be at higher risk if you are under stress from these conditions. If you are physically injured, your body needs time to heal. Our brain works to protect the area, creating pain and reducing mobility, so we don’t damage the body further. Previous injuries can create compensatory patterns in the surrounding musculature, and over time, these compensations cause postural imbalances that must also be addressed for long-term physical health.
You are not broken!
So, how do we retrain our body out of a chronic pain cycle? The most important aspect is to treat the whole person and the root cause, rather than address the symptom. We must restore functional mobility to each joint and rebalance the surrounding musculature to achieve optimal energy flow. When our muscles are able to relax, our structure can then hold us upright, utilizing less energy. We must further reconnect each of our load-bearing joints in alignment with gravity and address our body as a system, treating our physical structure, our emotional well-being, and our physical health. Whatever approach we choose to use to achieve this, it's important we take the focus off the pain, which will just exacerbate our body's stress response. We must not perceive our body as broken. We must educate and empower ourselves in our healing process for long-term health.
Methods to resolve pain
There are many methods to choose from to address pain. Some approaches prescribe customized exercises to reestablish alignment, address imbalances, and restore functional mobility. Others use breathwork and mindfulness practices to rebalance the nervous system and generate oxygen flow to the tissues. Heat and deep massage can stimulate blood flow to tense muscles and relieve pain. What all these modalities have in common is that they don't perceive the body as damaged. Rather, they address what areas are holding tension and restricting energy flow. Using these approaches in conjunction with re-educating the nervous system and developing somatic awareness is how we can ultimately alleviate chronic pain symptoms.
Below are some questions to ask yourself:
What do you believe is causing your pain?
Do you feel you are fragile?
Do you fear movement?
What steps can you take to build confidence in your body?
Where in your body are you holding tension?
Do you notice any mobility restrictions?
Do you notice any asymmetries or imbalances in your body?
Do you get enough movement in your day?
Do you get enough rest, relaxation, and sleep?
Are you able to take a full breath?
Are you under prolonged emotional stress?
Are you part of a family or community with strong social connections?
Do you feel you have purpose in your life?
Do you make daily healthy life choices?
What should you be doing that you are not doing in your life?
What should you not be doing that you are doing in your life?
For assistance in your journey out of chronic pain or to book a free 1/2 hour posture consultation, visit here.
Read more from Lisa Decker
Lisa Decker, Owner of Aligned Fitness
Lisa Decker began her work 25 years ago as a personal trainer but realized quickly the importance of addressing dysfunctional alignment and muscular compensations before strengthening. She has a master's degree in Human Movement, a 3-year certification in medical Qigong, and multiple certifications in biomechanics, spinal decompression, posture therapy, breathwork, and corrective exercise. She is the owner of Aligned Fitness in San Jose, CA, where she specializes in helping others restore functional alignment and movement patterns to reduce chronic pain symptoms. Her goal is to educate and empower people to understand the root cause of their pain so they can safely and pain-free return to enjoying the activities they love.
