That annoying pain you feel, one that is sitting right under your skin that if you get enough massages, or pinpoint with a tennis ball, or stretch deep enough will just go away so easily. What you may have learned is this is not the case. Perhaps a small percentage of you have had it go away with persistence, but a larger majority are still being driven crazy by this one spot.
I’ve been there. I’ve had it with my left shoulder and I’ve had it with my right hamstring ever since I tore it.
I want to help you understand what is happening in your tissues and how to approach it with kindness and patience. Defining pain in this post will be in terms of acute (short term) or chronic (long term).
Chronic pain over time affects your nervous system. It takes what used to be an 8 out of 10 on the “pain” scale and turns it into a 3 out of 10 over time. The nervous system begins to dull the senses and normalize the pain. This can in turn change the way you interact with other versions of pain. “Chronic pain reduces the volume of gray matter in our brains. Grey matter is the area of the brain which controls learning, attention, memory, thought processes, motor control and coordination.” You can read more in this article here.
Without going into a huge spiral of all the ways your brain and body be affected know this: 1) pain doesn’t have to be forever and 2) your brain is adaptable at any age.
CHRONIC PAIN
When I listen to a client in a private lesson setting I am trying to determine if what they’re feeling is a result of mental stress, physical stress or both. The feelings of not being good enough, not working hard enough, angry or fearful of everything, fatigue. Our brains are still animalistic in thought processing and tighten muscles that are supposed to be soft. It thinks there’s a threat and you need to be ready. These tightened muscles wear and tear other tissues surrounding it and can cause pain. The main example being your psoas muscle. In this diagram here you can see all of its attachment points, including the fascia.
You experience stress = psoas tightens = tension on the diaphragm= you feel out of breath, or tight in the upper body (but really it could be coming from below).
In terms of the physical lens, is it your movement mechanics that are causing continuous pain in the body? Have you looked at the way you carry yourself daily? What about the shoes you wear? Is the furniture in your home challenging you to move in different ways or is it all at the same level?
Be creative in what you decide to explore, don’t give up hope. Your body is speaking to you and there is an answer. Have you tried everything? If you haven’t, try a new approach such as:
Committing more time to it
Reducing the stress revolving around you
If that isn’t possible, change the way you react to the stress
Breathwork
IR Therapy
Massage
Strengthen
Stretch
Move your spine in 6 directions
Go for a walk
Spend time with friends
Work on your everyday posture
Therapy
Surgery (if doctor recommends because you have bone on bone)
This isn’t everything, but it’s a place to start. If you decide to use movement, then find a practitioner who listens to you and knows what they’re talking about.
ACUTE PAIN
These injuries are more recent. It could be surgery, rolled ankle, concussion. First and foremost, listen to your doctor and their suggestions. Injury doesn’t last forever and it’s a beautiful way to be humbled. I only say beautiful because I love the idea of rebuilding an even stronger adaptation to what occurred to prevent future injury. It begins with rest, then could start with gentle loading or mobility work.
As always, I hope this helps and if you have any questions, let me know! I have openings for private clients.
Cheers,
B
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