What puts the chronic in chronic pain?
One of the factors that contribute to the chronic in chronic pain is dysfunction in the human musculoskeletal system, which is magnificent in its balance, symmetry and function. It is masterfully designed so that a human body can move through the world with strength, flexibility and grace.
When this system is in balance, we can go through our daily activities of living without pain. When it is out of balance, pain will very likely present. If this imbalance persists for a prolonged period of time...chronic pain will often be the result.
The human musculoskeletal system is comprised of bony structures and soft tissue.
Soft tissue impairment is a leading contributor of chronic pain.
Unfortunately, soft tissue impairment does not show up on standard medical tests such as x-rays and MRIs and therefore most often goes untreated. Soft tissue impairment must be evaluated through observation of movement patterns and hands-on palpation (examination by touch). And to add to the problem, pain from soft tissue impairment can be masked by medications and made worse following invasive procedures.
The human body is also really good at adapting to imbalance. It will do everything to keep us moving from place to place even if that process becomes lopsided. You have all seen someone who “walks funny” because they are in pain. That limp or interruption in smooth movement is a compensation that keeps us moving but unfortunately adds significantly to the pain complex.
Adaptive movement patterns are also a leading contributor to chronic pain.
Adaptive movement patterns must be evaluated through analysis of posture and gait patterns and through strength and flexibility testing.
One must analyze how the patient's body is working as a whole entity and not focus solely on the area the pain is coming from.
A Case Study
A young women came into my practice a few years ago. She had been a very healthy and active person. She had suffered a back injury at her job which resulted in her being in the workers comp system for several years.She had seen many doctors, taken various medications, had procedures, and used back braces.
She was depressed and suffering a great sense of loss of herself not to mention she was still in debilitating pain most of the time. Prior to her initial evaluation with us, not one practitioner had taken the time to look at her entire musculoskeletal system instead of just her back.
As you can see, there is a marked imbalance between her left and right lower legs. This pattern had begun at birth as the result of in-utero positioning. Her body had developed an adaptive pattern to compensate for this abnormality. She had done quite well up until the time of her back injury. That injury was in a real sense “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.
Upon thorough examination, we were able to understand her imbalances and adaptive movement patterns including the fact the right side of her lower body was 35% weaker than the left.
Without her previous practitioner's understanding, treating and normalizing these patterns she had been unable to heal.
Following her evaluation, we created an individually tailored program for rebalancing her musculoskeletal system and learning how her body worked. We followed her over an extended period of time to support her developing and maintaining new habits and patterns in her musculoskeletal system and in her activities of daily living.
I am thrilled to report that she is no longer a chronic pain sufferer and has been able to restore her health, revitalize her spirit and reclaim herself. She has very clear strategies to use if she gets a mild pain flare, preparing her for a life not defined by pain.
At Allies for Change we have redefined chronic pain and have developed highly effective methodologies for helping Individuals heal from Prolonged Pain Complex©.
