Why Am I Still in Pain? New Ways to Look at Healing Chronic Pain
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Why Am I Still In Pain?
As human beings, nobody likes to be in pain. When pain strikes, our focus is on how to stop the pain.
But what happens when you’ve tried everything to ease your pain and it’s still there?
It’s frustrating enough when one day you mindlessly reach for something and your back seizes leaving you immobile and in pain.
It’s even more frustrating when you’ve diligently tried “everything” to combat the pain, but it’s still there, lingering days later.
Maybe you have tried everything but here are 5 reasons why your pain STILL won’t go away.
1) You Haven’t Given It Enough Time
Whenever I am in pain, I want that pain to be gone yesterday. It doesn’t matter that the circumstances leading to my pain probably developed over a long period of time.
If pain occurs, I want it gone.
Yet, strained muscles, torn tendons or a chronic inflammatory condition like fibromyalgia do not get better overnight.
Sure, if you have an acute injury and seek treatment, like acupuncture, right away, your chances of a faster recovery are much greater.
But overall muscles, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments all need time for the body’s innate healing mechanisms to work.
TAKE AWAY: I know it’s difficult when life around you continues on as normal, but cut yourself some slack and give your body time to heal.
2) You’re Missing an Emotional Component to Your Pain
Often times we seem to focus solely on the physical aspect of our pain and ignore any emotional component that could be contributing to it or impeding recovery.
Even Dr. John Sarno, author of the best-selling book, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection, believes that pain is caused by repressed emotions and stress, not physical ailments.
His recommendation for treating back pain? Address any repressed anger.
In Traditional Chinese medicine, the physical and the emotional are very much connected.
Physical symptoms can impact our emotions and emotions can influence what we feel physically.
For example, when we are stressed (which can be actual stress you feel or even just juggling a LOT of responsibilities in life), our flow of energy becomes compromised.
Muscles tighten, consciously or unconsciously, which restricts blood and energy flow which can exasperate or worsen pain that you were already feeling.
Unless you take the time to look within to see what emotions could be at play, blocking your energy and therefore aggravating your pain, the pain will not go away.
If there is an emotion or stressor influencing your pain, once identified you can then work through it to get the pain relief you need.
TAKE AWAY: Do a little self-introspection and check in with your emotions and stress level.
Is there a situation causing you stress or are there any repressed, unaddressed feelings that need looked at?
Journaling can be a big help in working through your emotions and pain.
3) You’re Still Aggravating Your Symptoms
I see this a lot when it comes to back, neck, arm or wrist pain.
Often times musculoskeletal pain does not go away because you are continuing to do something that is aggravating your symptoms.
This could be a repetitive motion such as typing, lifting or any repetitive movement for your job or in your personal life.
TAKE AWAY: Look at any repetitive motions that could be compromising your recovery efforts. If you’ve found some, devise ways to minimize or alter the motions if possible.
4) Lack of Movement is Keeping You Stuck in Pain
Just as your pain can be aggravated by repetitive movements, you can also aggravate your symptoms from a lack of motion where muscles are not moved enough.
This could be sitting at a desk, staring at a computer screen, commuting long distances in a car, or just sitting for long periods of time watching TV.
Energy and blood that does not move, stagnates and becomes blocked. Once blocked, pain can occur.
TAKE AWAY: What lifestyle changes could you make to ease your pain levels? Could you add a bit more movement into your life?
5) An Alignment Issue Hasn’t Been Addressed
Aggravation of symptoms can also stem from a posture or alignment problem.
Are you actually sitting on your sit bones in a chair or when you’re sitting on the couch? Or, are you lying back and lounging on the couch or reclining in a recliner chair putting the pressure on different muscles?
Are you standing balanced on both feet or do you tend to lean more on one leg? Do you cross your legs when you sit down? Do you keep your wallet in your back pocket or always carry your purse on the same shoulder?
All of these posture misalignments can be aggravating your pain symptoms and preventing them from resolving.
Unless they are addressed, they will continue to impede your progress toward pain relief.
TAKE AWAY: Assess your posture over a given day and make the necessary adjustments needed for sitting and standing.
How to Heal Chronic Pain
If any of these reasons as to why you may still be in pain ring true for you, here are some suggestions to help you finally beat your pain.
Try Journaling
Writing in a journal can help you work through any feelings you may be carrying regarding your chronic pain.
If you are frustrated with how long your recovery is taking or just have some other feelings to wrestle with, journaling is a great tool to help you.
Short on time, I love The 5 Minute Journal. Take just 5 minutes each morning and night to work through the prompts of this journal as an easy way to start this daily practice.
Take More Breaks
If repetitive movements or lack of movement is an issue, be mindful of taking more breaks to limit the repetition or to simply get up and move.
Setting a timer on your phone for every 20-30 minutes is a big help.
Also consider stretching or working out different and opposing muscle groups to those you constantly work with your repetitive movements.
If you use your biceps a lot, then work your triceps. If your forearms are strained from typing, then stretch the under arm. If your back hurts frequently, then work and strengthen your core abdominal muscles.
Assess and Correct Your Alignment
If alignment is what you need to work on, these are two resources that can give you more guidance:
Katy Bowman is a biomechanist who studies body alignment and its effects on human physiology.
She presents her case of why alignment is so important to pain, cardiovascular health, bowel function and more in clear, easy to understand (and eye-opening!) ways in her book, Move Your DNA.
Easy stretches to adjust your alignment are also included in this must read book so check it out or visit her web site or listen to her podcast.
Another resource I often suggest to my patients is Foundation Training by Dr. Eric Goodman.
Foundation Training presents easy to follow exercises and stretches that help decompress the spine and correct alignment and function of muscles that can ease low back pain.
You can learn more at their website or read their book, Foundation.
Try Acupuncture
It’s not uncommon for someone to come into my office for their first acupuncture treatment and say that they’ve tried everything they could up to this point but they are still in pain.
With acupuncture, we can address various pain conditions as the treatment helps to release pain-relieving endorphins and reduce inflammation and muscle tension.
According to the gate theory of pain, when your body is in chronic pain, the gates on your pain receptors of your nervous system remain open.
With the gates open, your brain is constantly receiving a signal that you are in pain.
Studies have shown that pain receptor gates close after receiving acupuncture, which explains one mechanism of how acupuncture can help address pain conditions.
Discover how to find the right acupuncturist for you.
Try Phototherapy
Another easy and effective option for treating acute and chronic pain is phototherapy.
With phototherapy, or low level light therapy, you can initiate the body's innate healing mechanisms using your body’s own infrared light.
This technology uses simple, quarter-size patches that contain a solution of crystals that act as antennae, reflecting back your own body’s infrared light to transmit a biological message to initiate change in your cells.
You simply place them on certain acupuncture points on the body and they immediately get to work, without medication or any chemicals.
The Icewave patch was designed to specifically address pain in the body.
The latest Lifewave X39 patch, also addresses pain while also stimulating stem cell growth and reducing inflammation.
The Aeon patch also reduces inflammation and stress in the body.
Any or all three of these patches would be great treatment option to address acute or chronic pain. You can learn more about phototherapy and each patch here.
You can also purchase and schedule a phone consultation with me to determine which phototherapy patches are best for you. Click here to learn more.
If you are asking yourself why am I still in pain, consider reviewing these possibilities in your own life to uncover new ways to heal your chronic pain.
Do any of these ideas resonate with you? Share in the comments below.