Pain ≠ Damage

Pain is the Body's Alarm System

Pain is one of the body's most important protective systems - but it's often misunderstood. When you touch something hot or twist your ankle, your nervous system sends "danger signals" to your brain. If your brain interprets those signals as a threat, you feel pain - basically your brain's way of getting your attention and protecting you.

The key here is that those signals are about potential danger, not necessarily damage. You can feel a lot of pain with minimal tissue change, and on the flip side, have significant tissue change with little or no pain at all. That's because pain is multifactorial.

Pain is Multifactorial

Multiple factors contribute to pain at the same time. Physical contributors - like injury, inflammation, nervous system sensitization, or muscle imbalances - interact with mental, emotional, and social influences such as stress, sleep, past experiences, beliefs, and environment. This biopsychosocial model allows for a more complete understanding of pain by looking at the whole person, not just a single structure or symptom.

Pain is Manageable

Because so many factors contribute to pain, no two experiences are alike, and treatment will vary from one person to another. The good news is that this means there are also may ways to intervene and help the system feel safe again.

Exercise

Exercise is one of the most effective treatments for managing pain. It should focus on increasing available movement within a comfortable range and can target mobility, strength, and stability.

Manual Therapy

Hands-on techniques, including joint and soft tissue mobilization, can provide short term relief and are most effective when combined with active strategies, such as exercise.

Modalities

Modalities like heat, ice, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and laser therapy can help decrease pain in the short term, but research shows their long-term benefit is limited. Movement and exercise remain the gold standard for lasting improvement.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture - a form of traditional Eastern medicine - can help restore balance of energy flow in your body. Modern research suggests that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system in ways that can directly decrease pain and support the body's natural healing response.

Psychological Intervention

Our thoughts and emotions have a powerful impact on pain. Chronic pain is often linked to patterns like catastrophizing, fear-avoidance, depression, and anxiety. Addressing these factors and implementing active coping strategies can significantly improve pain outcomes, especially when combined with physical treatments.

Medication

While medication isn't usually the first choice in pain management, it can play a helpful role in certain cases. Options may include acetaminophen, NSAIDs, opioids, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and corticosteroids - ideally as part of a broader, multidisciplinary plan.

Surgery

Most pain improves without surgical intervention. However, surgery may be appropriate when conservative care isn't effective or in emergencies where immediate intervention is necessary.

Education

Understanding how pain works can actually reduce the intensity of pain. When you understand what's contributing to your pain and how you can influence it, you regain a sense of control. Knowledge is powerful medicine.

The Bottom Line

When we shift our perspective from "something is wrong with my body" to "my system is trying to protect me," we open space for healing, movement, and confidence. Education is treatment because learning about pain truly changes the way we experience it.

If this resonates with you, contact Indepth Physical Therapy. Together, we can help your system feel safe again.

References

1. Butler DS, Moseley GL. Explain Pain. 2nd ed. Adelaide, Australia: Noigroup Publications; 2013.

2. Louw A. Why Do I Hurt? A Patient Book About the Neuroscience of Pain. Story City, IA: OPTP; 2013.

3. Oswald W. Low Back Pain: Examination and Treatment Strategies for the Low Back Pain Patient. Summit Professional Education: Summit Education; September 2024.