As a chiropractor I deal with pain on a daily basis. Today I’d like to dispel some of the most common myths I hear from patients regarding pain.
Myth #1: Pain happens because of age. While we certainly heal faster and recover quicker at a younger age, your body does not produce pain in response to your latest birthday milestone.
Myth #2: Pain can has to be either nerve, muscular OR bone related (structural). Your spine protects the nerves that power all of your muscles. In other words, these 3 components are all in such close proximity that what affects one will usually affect the others.
Myth #3: Soreness is the same as pain. Soreness is a sign you’ve placed new or greater stresses upon your body and the effects are usually short lived (1-2 days). For example, returning to physical activity after a long layoff often produces soreness. Pain on the other hand could be something such as a muscle spasm that takes your breath away or a shooting pain down your arm or leg. Unlike soreness, pain will usually cause problems with your activities of daily life and will not usually go away quickly.
Myth #4: If you’re pain-free, you’re healthy. Pain is a symptom, and symptoms are messages from your body that something is amiss. The problem is that symptoms often take months or years to finally present themselves. For example, the first outward symptom of heart disease is often an actual heart attack. Therefore, the absence of pain unfortunately is not a reliable indicator of your overall health.
Myth #5: Only “serious” injuries cause pain. Injuries such as broken bones or diseases like cancer can obviously cause pain, however the amount of pain felt is not proportional to the severity of your condition. In fact, the patients I often encounter in the most severe pain are usually suffering from basic musculoskeletal issues.
Myth #6: You just have to live with pain. In nearly every case, (with proper treatment) there is something that can be done to at least minimize the amount of pain a person is in. Over the years I’ve had many patients that believed they’d have to suffer for life become pain-free, sometimes even after a single visit!
Myth #7: Only wimps go to a doctor for pain. It’s not necessary to get in a car and drive to a medical facility anytime you don’t feel completely 100%. However, there’s no shame in enlisting the help of a specialist to help you correct an issue. I regularly encounter patients that “sucked it up”, continued living in pain and avoided seeing a doctor for years (probably all while driving their friends and family crazy). Without exception, once these people start receiving the appropriate care they all tell me “I wish I’d just come in sooner.”
Dr. Kenney has won multiple awards for “Best Chiropractor” and specializes in helping patients achieve their goals of better health and pain relief. For more information please browse our website, find us on Facebook (New Body Chiropractic & Wellness Center) or call (303) 347-9906.