If my neck hurts, it would make sense to treat my neck. While there are instances when the location of the pain is the culprit of said pain, there are also instances when the culprit of the pain is far from where the pain is actually felt. This question often arises in our office: “You mean… you’re going to treat my neck when it’s my lower back that’s bothering me?”There is an often-overlooked aspect of pain, and that is that it is perceived in our brain. Pain isn’t perceived in our joints, or any other part of our body. We feel it in parts of our bodies, such as our joints and muscles, but it’s our brain that controls the degree of pain we experience. That’s why when the dentist freezes your gums, you do not perceive the obvious amount of pain you would be in if they weren’t sedated. The body is still experiencing something that should produce pain, but the signal (nerve) is dampened, facilitating a numbing effect.
If our cell phone isn’t working properly, people are quick to blame the phone. But what if it is an issue with the signal from the carrier company and not the phone at all? The point is that there are multiple ways pain can manifest in our bodies. It’s important to determine the source of the pain to better manage the issue before it detrimentally affects your quality of life. The way you stand, sit, sleep, and simply exist in gravity has the potential to contribute heavily to your pain. If someone can alter the way they exist in gravity and thus stand, sit, sleep, and exist in gravity in a more neutral position, the source of the pain has a better chance of reducing and can allow for healing.
Written by Dr. Ty Wilson
