When Pain Isn’t The Real Problem
The team at Inspired Chiropractic recently had a client contact them saying she was suffering from mild lower back pain. They were surprised that, as they progressed with the examination, it became increasingly obvious that pain was not really her main concern.
Her posture was poor, her strength was reduced, her coordination was inaccurate, her balance was lacklustre, she moved awkwardly and she was not enjoying exercise and activity. In summary, her body just wasn’t working.
The Difficulty of Describing Dysfunction
It was interesting that she knew well that her body did not function well but she could not put this concept into words. She is not alone.
Many clients arrive for help with a problem only for the practice to discover a number of other key health concerns. They have an innate awareness that all is not well but they think that chiropractors just deal with pain. In their mind pain is a problem and a lack of pain must mean that they are all well.
The Illusion of Pain-Free Health
Pain is very fickle, coming and going and giving the illusion that everything is OK. This is not uncommon in healthcare – consider heart disease.
Everyone is very clear that waiting to have pain in the chest before addressing an unhealthy lifestyle is the worst thing that can be done. Heart disease develops because the body cannot deal with the chemical load and lack of exercise that a poor lifestyle provides. Over time it functions less well and is less able to repair and clean the arterial system until fatty plaque builds up blocking the arteries and destroying the healthy walls of the blood vessels.
Physical Function Determines Overall Health
The same is true of the physical frame. Injury and misuse results in structural damage, pain and degeneration which results in problems in later life – this is already well understood.
What is less understood is that health is determined to a large extent by how well the body can function physically. A reduced thoracic spinal movement (mid back) results in less mobile ribs. Poorly functioning ribs increase the physical pressure on the heart and reduce lung function. This can be devastating for those with heart and lung problems.
Help Is Available Before Pain Arrives
A lot of the time, whilst these changes do not hurt, clients are often aware of something not quite feeling right. The great news is that chiropractors can help.
If someone is struggling, feeling old, has a lack of energy or changes to posture or movement, they should call for a consultation. There is no need to wait until pain arrives.