So often, pain haunts us for years, rearing its ugly head at the most inopportune times, like right before a sporting event, while we’re on vacation, or when the weather finally turns sunny and it’s time to get outside and play. Worse still, it can be a nagging thorn in your side for years; You may wake up each morning covered in pain, stiff, and unable to move.

Those who suffer from chronic or acute pain do not willingly. In fact, according to the American Chiropractic Association, Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain, and experts estimate that up to 80% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their lives.

Most doctors, if they can’t find a direct medical cause for the pain, such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis, attribute the pain to “just a part of aging,” leaving patients with little hope of cure. long-term. The truth is that aging does not have to be accompanied by the myriad of aches and pains that our Western civilization expects.

In his lecture series, The New Physics of Healing, Deepak Chopra refers to studies conducted in indigenous tribes where a person’s perception increases in value as they age. So, for example, a 30-year-old is much more highly regarded for athletic ability and mental ingenuity than a 20-year-old, and so on. In this culture, the population did not decline as they aged, but rather improved in cardiovascular health and athletic ability (as measured by their ability to run long distances, their main way of transmitting messages between tribes). Similar studies also invalidate the notion that aging requires physical and mental decline.

So if pain isn’t a necessary part of aging, why do so many people suffer from chronic pain? Here are three of the seven reasons I see clients get stuck running in circles, unable to achieve the results they dream of.

Mistake #1: Keep doing what doesn’t work

It is common for someone to try a healing modality because a friend or family member had success with that path. Clients will usually see the same therapist who treated the referrer. In general, this is a good strategy, but if you’re not getting the results you want, don’t keep whipping a dead horse. The therapist may not be a good fit for you, or you may need someone with slightly different skills. Your body may respond better to a different modality. Don’t be afraid to end treatment if it’s not getting you where you need to be.

Mistake #2: Assuming there is only one solution

Instead, some people hop from one doctor to another, looking for the “miracle cure” that will make their pain go away. They try one massage session, two with an acupuncturist, and then go to a Rolfer for three sessions, never keeping anything long enough to gauge whether or not they’re getting results.

When you set out to heal your body, you must understand that there is no magic wand. Accepting that fact will allow you to be proactive and participate in your healing process. Ask lots of questions and learn about different therapies. If you are getting results, however small the measure, keep working with the therapist or modality that is moving you forward. Slowly add additional modalities, one at a time, until you find two or three that have a symbiotic relationship with your body. And most importantly, keep an open mind. Assuming that you know it all, that you’ve tried everything, and that you know what works and what doesn’t, will tend to keep you stuck in a rut. You never know what new piece of knowledge will be the secret key to unlocking your vitality.

Mistake #3: Not working with the right mentors

Commonly, customers show up asking to be “fixed”. They say, “I just want you to fix me up so I can go back to my old life.” I hate to break it to you, but a) you can’t time travel backwards: the body you have now is the body you have to work with from now on, and b) no one can “fix” you; it’s an inside job.

Pain healing goes beyond simply “fixing” a sore spot on your body. Pain is closely related to our mental and emotional states, as well as our physical well-being. At the very least, if you are starting your healing journey, it is essential to have the support of a body mentor, a spiritual mentor, and a counselor or therapist. You may find that you have several in one category, such as an acupuncturist and structural integrator for your body, or an individual may be ideal. Treating all aspects of your pain will help you change the patterns that led to your current state, developing healthier habits that will support whole-body wellness.

Mistake #4: Treating only the symptoms

This might be the most common obstacle I see my clients face. Western medicine, in its efforts to divide and categorize the body, has given us the false notion that we are some kind of soft machine, a marvel of engineering with interchangeable parts, where organs and tissues can be removed and replaced without effect. something about the organism as a whole.

Please don’t get me wrong; Western medicine has produced wonders in healing and definitely has its place in the world. Trust me, if I’m in a serious car accident and need to be taken to the ER, I want the best doctor in the world stitching me up again!

But, when it comes to back pain, the tendency to want to pinpoint a small fulcrum of pain tends to leave the patient struggling and unresolved. Here’s why: His body is intricately linked; each tiny microscopic cell is connected to the one next to it, and the one next to it, and so on. Every joint in your body affects the function of the joints immediately surrounding it. If you swear at a joint, there’s a ripple effect through the body, much like rings in a pond when you throw a rock. It is impossible to focus solely on a knee, hip, or facet joint in the spine without also looking at the joints above and below it.

Most treatments only focus on the condition or diagnosis, i.e. sciatica, herniated disc, etc. In reality, his body went through many stages of misalignment before developing severe conditions and debilitating pain, all starting with an unbalanced physical structure. Treating only the condition is tantamount to treating only the result of the imbalance rather than going directly to the root cause of the pain. And, if there’s no medical condition, doctors will often tell you that the pain and discomfort you’re experiencing is “just part of getting older.” In fact, it’s often indicative of an underlying imbalance that will get worse if you don’t intercept it.

I highly recommend working with therapists who take a whole body balancing approach to healing pain, such as a structural integrator. Its results will be more profound and will tend to last much longer than treatment that only focuses on the symptom.

Mistake #5: Not dealing with pain the first time

We’re all busy, and no one wants to end their life just because of a little stiff back, right? Worse yet, we don’t want to sound “whiny” or be labeled a hypochondriac. Therefore, it is not surprising that most people do not treat back pain the first time it occurs.

Unless there is a major bodily injury, such as a bad fall from a horse or a terrible car accident, back pain does not appear suddenly or overnight. It is a progression, a slow deterioration perpetuated by daily habits. If you experience even mild discomfort in your back, neck and shoulders, it’s a sign that all is not well and if you don’t get treatment right away, you are setting yourself up for a much more difficult healing task ahead. .

This is exceptionally challenging for athletes, as excelling in sports requires a tough mindset. If you give up at the first sign of pain and discomfort, you’re unlikely to get very far as an athlete; therefore, I recommend that athletes find a strong core of body care professionals, establish a scheduled treatment schedule, and stick to it (don’t cancel appointments just because you feel healthy and fine this week)! This will help catch any minor imbalances in its early stages, reducing the risk of major injury and pain later on.

Mistake #6: Not understanding that curing back pain is a process

In a world of quick fixes and magic cures, we all want to take the quickest path to health that we can. But, just like losing weight, healing pain is a process and can take some time. The only way to get from A to B is to put one foot in front of the other, keep walking, and don’t let little setbacks get you down. Healing your body is a journey of self-discovery, and it can be uncomfortable to say the least. It forces you to take a look at your life, the areas that serve you and those that don’t. Just like losing weight means letting go of the habits that are destroying your health, facing your back pain will mean that you have to change the way you live to some degree.

Pain almost always correlates with an emotional state. There’s absolutely a connection between stress and pain, in part because stress causes the body to release certain neurochemicals that create inflammation and tension, and also because stress makes us less focused on taking care of our well-being (the economic crash of 2008 saw more work hours and a corresponding increase in computer-related shoulder pain). Dealing with stress goes much deeper than swallowing a pill; it requires that we allocate time for self-care and incorporate practices that support a calm and relaxed state of being, such as meditation, qi gong, tai chi, and yoga. All of these take time to have an effect on your body and life. Choosing a bodywork, exercise, and stress management program and following it is crucial to long-term success in healing your pain.

Mistake #7: Not taking action

Making this mistake will surely keep you stuck and in pain for years to come. No one can act on his behalf, no one! If you want to heal your body, you need to become an active participant in your healing process, and that means scheduling appointments with experienced bodyworkers, incorporating daily activity into your life, being proactive in managing stress, and educating yourself about every aspect of healing. healing. of the bread

Although it’s easier to sit on the couch and wonder why this happened to you, or just get over the pain, keep doing the same sports and other activities (weekend warriors, I’m looking at you on this one) until you just can’t take it anymore. Refusing to actively seek relief or taking refuge in pain-relieving medications that mask symptoms is the same as choosing to shorten the number of years you will be able to remain physically active. The decision is entirely yours.