How to stay pain free

I think it is important to reframe our thinking about pain, when we are discussing staying pain free.

We need to understand that pain isn’t always a bad thing. It is a protective output and prevents us from hurting ourselves or doing more damage.

We can think of it as our bodies own alarm system, as in many cases pain is experienced well before tissue damage, an effective mechanism to prevent injury.  It is a very important survival tool.

That being said, in a chronic setting pain can be less helpful, as our system becomes overprotective and prevents us from doing things that are good for our health.

For many people living with persistent pain their lifestyle and activity levels have negatively changed due to the impact of their pain experience. For many in this situation the objective of being pain free may not be the appropriate primary goal of management. In this population it may be beneficial and more realistic for the individual to shift their focus away from their pain levels to a greater emphasis on promoting and providing them the tools to re-engage in activities that they enjoy and are passionate about. Often when these strategies are implemented the individual’s pain levels and quality of life will improve also.

Written by Kate Johnson Osteopath