You just want the aches and pains to go away.

Maybe you’ve been in an auto accident, slipped and fell at work, or maybe you’ve just got a bad back. Whatever the cause, you’re probably most concerned with making the pain go away so you can get back to enjoying your daily life. Dr. Jarrod Wilner, DC, knows that finding the cause of your pain is the first step in relieving it. He can diagnose your problem and decide on the best treatment for your individual case.

Causes of Pain

Acute injuries (e.g.. Car accident, direct trauma, etc.) to parts of the body cause damage to various tissues in the area. When an injury happens, the body releases edema and chemicals that cause inflammation to protect against infection and begin the healing process. These tissue changes increase sympathetic system activity (like constricting blood vessels) and send signals to the brain to alert us that we have been injured. These signals are what we call pain. This is the acute inflammation phase, and it is necessary for the healing process. If we did not experience pain, we would keep trying to run around, lift things and move around in ways that would prevent our bodies from healing properly. In this phase, pain can actually be a good thing.

From here, the tissues should undergo repair and remodeling, which should allow the inflammation to go down. However, it often happens that injuries do not heal properly. If tissue debris and poorly formed scar tissue remain, in can induce chronic inflammation. At this point, the acute injury can become a chronic injury, which affects mobility and creates a vicious, unending cycle of pain.

Chronic pain can also occur without the acute trauma of an auto accident, slip and fall or sports injury. Some are more susceptible to chronic inflammation and pain from microtrauma. Microtrauma is the result of tiny injuries from overuse, usually due to poor posture & biomechanics, muscle imbalances & adhesions, and a sedentary lifestyle, such as sitting in front of a computer for long hours. Rehabilitation, improving motion patterns & proprioception, strengthening/stretching, and reducing tissue adhesions help resolve these issues, which may bring relief and prevent further problems.

Reducing Pain

Pain may be reduced by getting rid of excessive inflammation, reducing tissue debris, and improving the mechanics of the area experienceing chronic pain. The feeling of touch and vibration actually help to stop the pain signals from reaching the brain (like rubbing your elbow after bumping it), reduce the signals being sent to the brain, and help reduce inflammation.

Inflammation can also possibly affect how you feel without necessarily causing pain. Chronic inflammation may contribute to excessive responses from the immune system. Increased levels of stress hormones like cortisol, chemical responses, and gene signals can affect your mood, your energy level and your general sense of well being. This may even result in cold and flu symptoms, even if you’re not sick. Excessive or chronic inflammation has also has been linked to a long list of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.

As if you needed more reasons to avoid being in pain! Come in and see Dr. Jarrod for a consultation.