A Sense For Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is and should not be the norm for individuals to have to live with! Chronic pain is usually associated with some sort of physical suffering that our body endures. In reality, your body is telling you that something is not right. Your body can still function and perform, but not to its optimal potential that it is designed for. Pain is transmitted through the sensory part of the nerve. The sensory part of the nerve is a very small portion in comparison to the motor part (muscle, etc) and autonomic part (blood vessels, etc). If your body is constantly sending pain messages, your nerve system is trying to tell you something. Realize that your nerve system regulates and controls every human experience you have. Your nerve system is not functioning to your optimal potential when chronic pain is persistent. Someone who suffers from this needs to realize that pain is a RED FLAG and most likely there is an underlying reason why.
Pressure upon a nerve decreases the firing capacity that is supposed to be 100%. When a spinal bone moves and puts pressure upon a nerve it is called a subluxation. When this process first begins, typically you will not feel the sensation of pain first. Your body will enter protection mode, muscle fatigue, spasms, low energy, any real possible signs and symptoms for that specific nerve and the vital organs, cells, and tissues it controls. These first signs and symptoms that your body presents should be your first indicator of “chronic pain.” As the subluxation continues uncorrected for some time, your body will eventually develop the physical sensation of pain. That is why it is so important to have your nerves checked periodically even before the sensation of pain appears.
In a randomized controlled trial, 183 patients with neck pain were randomly allocated to manual therapy (spinal mobilization), physiotherapy (mainly exercise) or general practitioner care (counseling, education and drugs) in a 52-week study. The clinical outcomes measures showed that manual therapy resulted in faster recovery than physiotherapy and general practitioner care. Moreover, total costs of the manual therapy – treated patients were about one-third of the costs of physiotherapy or general practitioner care. ~ Korthals-de Bos et al (2003), British Medical Journal