Key Takeaways
- Pain is an early warning system, not a reliable measure of whether a problem is fixed.
- The brain may focus on one painful area while other areas are also out of balance.
- Waiting for pain to go away on its own can let the problem spread or get bigger.
It's natural to assume that once the pain is gone, the problem is fixed. In this myth-versus-fact video, Dr. Parsons explains why that's a myth.
Pain Is an Early Warning System
Pain is your body's way of letting you know something is wrong. But many people ignore it, or assume that once it improves, everything is fine.
Your Brain Only Shows You So Much
Dr. Parsons explains that the brain only lets you know about so much at a time. If several areas are out of balance, it may focus on one, like your low back, while other issues go unnoticed. And if the pain is ignored long enough, the brain may stop sending the signal, even though the problem is still there.
Fix the Why
Many adults put off getting help, telling themselves it'll be better tomorrow, or next week, or after a massage. But if you're hurting, there's a reason why. Dr. Parsons would rather fix the cause before it spreads to other areas or becomes a much bigger issue. As she puts it, it's not about the pain; it's about the function, and function is what chiropractors check.
If you've been waiting for pain to go away on its own, The Natural Path Health Center in Fresno can help find the cause. Learn more about our chiropractic care.
Read the full video transcript
If the pain goes away, the problem is fixed. Wow, I wish that were true. Pain is an early warning system, and it's often something that's ignored by a lot of you. A lot of you think, if there's no pain, I'm fine, or the pain was XYZ and now it's much better, therefore everything is fine. Your brain will only let you know so much at a time about your body. If there are multiple areas that are out of balance, it may just focus on the pain in your low back, but there are also issues in other areas. The brain's like, "Nope, we're going to focus on this now. That's better. Now I'm exhausted, and I'm going to stop communicating with the nervous system." Your brain's just going to say, "Forget it. They don't do anything about the pain. I'm going to quit letting them know." So we don't want to use pain as an indicator. Pain gives your body a heads-up that something is wrong, and you want to make sure it gets corrected, and that your body doesn't just start to pretend it doesn't exist anymore. I see this a lot in adults, because we think, "Well, tomorrow it'll be better. Tomorrow it'll be better. Oh, I'll give it a week. Oh, maybe I'll get a massage." If you're hurting, there's a reason why, and I would rather we fix the why than wait for the why to go to other areas or become a much bigger issue. It's not about the pain; it's about the function, and that's something that chiropractors check.
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB is a Doctor of Chiropractic, certified clinical nutritionist, and brain wellness expert with 34+ years serving Fresno families at The Natural Path Health Center.
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