What do you know about your pain?
In our quick-fix society we are conditioned to use any method we can find, to get quick relief from pain. This usually involves the use of drugs, surgery or some kind of treatment. Wouldn’t it be wonderful If this approach successfully provided lasting relief for every possible pain. Unfortunately it does not. However we still do remain hopeful.
Being lulled into this hopeful state, steers us away from making an effort to better understand our pain and its causes. This is because the apparently instant solutions, are already provided for us, usually in the form of drugs. Therein lies the problem. We see pain as the problem and we just want it gone. We are not motivated enough to take the effort to understand the source of the problem. It might take a little longer to find and understand the source, but be assured that when you find the solution, it will last much longer. So observe your pain and learn more about it and you will discover the underlying cause. Pain is just the messenger. Its purpose is to warn you of a problem or of imminent danger. You might choose to ignore it, or block it. If so you might no longer feel the pain, but the underlying problem will still remain.
Pain is the messenger
Pain is the messenger. Pain is an early warning system of a more serious danger. Pain is the smoke alarm in your kitchen. Where there is smoke there is fire and it is the fire that needs to be put out. Disconnecting the smoke alarm will not stop the fire. Pain is your car oil-light turning on. This tells you the engine needs oil. If you disconnect the light, the warning light will turn off, but the engine still needs oil. If the engine runs long enough without oil, eventually it will surely be damaged and cease to operate. This is the importance of a warning sign. Similarly this is the importance of pain to the body. It is trying to tell you something. If a pain killer is used to block the pain signal, The source of the pain will continue to exist, and will worsen if you are unaware of it and don’t take appropriate action.
What is Pain to us?
We know that it is an unpleasant in its milder state, and in an intense state it can be most annoying, depressing and even debilitating. At this stage all we want, is for it to be gone. We don’t generally care where it comes from and how it occurred. All we want is for it to be gone! This is mainly because it has reached a stage of urgency. Earlier it might have presented itself in a milder state. But that might not have been intense enough to be noticed. Even in its more intense but intermittent state, this condition is still not enough to command your attention. So the condition gets a chance to continue to develop below the radar, and become more complex and intense.
So what really is Pain?
Myofascial Pain Pain is a sensation. The most common pain most of us generally experience is myofascial pain, which means soft tissue pain, which includes muscles, tendons, ligaments and other soft tissue. The next time you feel a sensation, tune in to it and try to figure out what it feels like. Is it sore like a bruise, or is it achy like a gnawing sensation. When you tune in to the feeling, you will notice that there are many different types of pain, almost like tastes, each indicating the tissue state. However we tend to speak of pain as one thing. Notice how we all speak of pain as an absolute. We say “the Pain”. The doctor asks “where is the pain”. We feel that the pain switches on and then switches off. In truth there are no absolutes in pain. There are as many levels of pain as there are shades of gray. We think it switches on only because that is when it gets our attention and demands urgent action. Neuropathic Pain And to add to the large color palette of sensations we have neuropathic pain which is nerve related. As you might have guessed, this is nervy pain, like an electrical impulse, a phantom sensation that you cannot quite put your finger on (literally). Because there are so many sensations that are nerve related, like shooting pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, burning, and many more, I will call them nerve-sensations. there could be many different causes such as nerves that are irritated, damaged or entrapped between other tissue like bone and tight muscles. More on this in future articles.
Why does Pain get our Attention and Respect?
When they come on, most sensations are relatively mild and some might be relatively unpleasant, but when pain reaches a certain level it is intense and annoying, and that’s when it gets your attention. Wherever you go there it is, with you. You cannot avoid it, or walk away and leave it behind. Pain killers might make you believe you have shaken it for while – exactly – for a WHILE. But soon enough it will be back again. This is strong motivation for action and certainly puts Pain in a commanding position.
Have you observed the development of your Pain?
To learn more we need to use every experience of discomfort, no matter how mild, to observe exactly what we feel. Is it pain, and at what level is it. Is it so low that you would not call it pain, but perhaps discomfort. Or perhaps it is not quite discomfort, but another subtle sensation like tightness. We generally don’t see an association between this and pain. That is because subtle sensations do not demand attention, but they are very important none-the-less, because these are the clues that will help us understand the pain process.
Time to Take Charge
The wide range of sensations that we experience bring along with them a wealth of information about the source of current pain conditions as well as possible impending pain conditions that can be prevented. It is wise to better understand what all this means so we can empower ourselves in taking better care of our own physical health. Learn to understand the pain source and address the dysfunction there, and you will increase your chances of finding lasting relief and improved muscle performance.
There are articles forthcoming to help form a cohesive strategy to achieve success in your effort. Raj Nydoo developer of Painless Trigger Point technique. You can find more information at www.PainlessTriggerPoint.com.