What Is Pain?

No one likes to be in pain. It hurts! But what is pain, why is it there in the first place, and what is it trying to tell us?

Pain is a signal the body uses to alert us when something is going wrong that needs our attention. It’s really a good thing that the body can “talk” to us this way, even if it’s uncomfortable – it lets us know when we need to do something to change for the better.

When we’re in pain, we tend to believe that the pain is the problem, but actually, this is most often not the case. The pain is not the problem – the pain is your body’s way of letting you know that you HAVE a problem. It’s like a fire alarm – is the fire alarm the fire, or does it tell us that there IS a fire? If the fire alarm is ringing, and we shut it off, the fire will continue to burn – can you see how it’s the same with your pain? If we just shut it off without fixing the underlying problem, that wouldn’t work, would it?

This is one of the reasons doctors of chiropractic have been saying for over a hundred years that anyone with a spine and nerve system needs a check-up.

Why the spine and nerve system? It’s the control system of the body. Usually, the body runs itself and heals itself – that’s the way we were designed. But if the control system isn’t doing its job then the body can’t heal itself, so chiropractors specialize in finding and fixing disturbances and interference with the nerve system and restoring normal control, so the body can heal itself again.

It’s a bit like a garden hose. The hose carries the water from your house to your garden, so the plants can thrive. Your nerves carry energy from your brain to your body parts so they can thrive. If the hose is crimped, the water can’t flow, and the plants suffer. If your nerve gets crimped, the energy can’t flow, and your body parts suffer. Keep your nerves free flowing, and your body works that much better.

Or, you could say it’s like the power company. There’s a big power plant in town, where all the power for the neighborhood comes from. There are power lines that connect the power company to our houses, so we can use the power in our daily lives, for our lights, our appliances, and so on.

In your body, the power comes from the brain, which also uses power lines, called nerves. The nerves connect to our body parts so we can use the power in our daily lives, for our muscles, our organs and so on.

If anything interrupts the power lines from the power company, the power is shut down, and the lights and appliances in your house can’t work right. If anything interrupts the power lines in your body, the power is also shut down, and your body parts can’t work right.

Chiropractors find and fix these areas in your body that need the power turned back on.

Why wait until the pain begins? Just like getting regular dental and physical exams, make sure you and your family get periodic spine and nerve system check-ups from your doctor of chiropractic. It gives you a better chance of living pain free, and improving the quality of your life, too.