Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional

Pain is a mystery.

Someone took shoulder MRI'S of twenty Major League Baseball players. 15 of them had enough structural damage to warrant immediate shoulder surgery.

But only 10 of those 15 had pain.

Hmph.

Pain doesn't make sense. In a nearly 100 year old Harvard study of lower back pain in Men the only common symptom they identified was.... drum roll please...

Stress at work.

Now I am not a doctor, but 20 years in this biz has given me some insight. Pain isn't straightforward; and understanding a little about pain has helped several people when nothing else was working.

So let's talk about pain.

I train clients with back pain every week. The flareups rarely coincide with doing anything athletic (like heavy lifting). More often their back goes out when they lean down to pick up a quarter or some other equally unimpressive task.

Back pain may not just be about the back. It may be about stress, or nutrition, or unresolved trauma. In their book 'Pain Explained' David Butler/Lorimer Mosely write "We believe (authors) that even if problems do exist in your joints, muscles, ligaments, nerves, immune system or anywhere else, it won't hurt if your brain thinks you are not in danger.'

It makes sense then that stress brings out the back pain. Or that Major Leaguers can have significant structural damage and no pain. I would go so far as to say the majority of us have some undiagnosed injury that causes no pain for that precise reason: we are blissfully unaware and the brain hasn't prioritized it.

So why are you in pain?

In Z health there is a concept called the threat bucket. Everyone has a bucket, and into that bucket goes all your stress: physical, emotional, familial, corporate bs. When your bucket overflows your brain thinks you're in danger and BOOM!

You're in pain.

Back pain. Shoulder pain. Wrist pain. Whichever type of pain your brain thinks will slow you down and get you to address what's in your bucket.

Too often we address our pain, but not the bucket.

Pain is the signal. Take a moment and decode it. When your back or knees or shoulders hurt definitely give them some attention, then take a minute and ask yourself:

What else could my body be telling me?

Pain refers out. Sometimes you get hit in the knee and your knee hurts; but sometimes the knee hurts because your ankles aren't flexible enough, sometimes your knees hurt because you drink too much or eat crappy food. Sometimes your knees hurt because you hate traffic and miss your kids.

It all lands in the threat bucket. Did you see above how stress can drastically restrict blood flow? Do you think that will effect a healthy body?

So what can we do?

First off see your Doc. If your pain is serious don't get cute about treating it. See a pro, get a pill. Don't stop there. Manage the stress in your life. Therapy comes in many different packages, and remember, I am not a Doctor, but here are the four stress killers I can share without getting sued.

Stop being such a Bit... Oh wait. My lawyer says I can get sued for saying that.

Move well- Go for a walk, take yoga, lift weights, go for a run. Movement is medicine and every little bit moves the needle in your favor. Now if you can't move without pain...

Sleep well- How many times have seemingly insurmountable life problems crumbled after a good night's rest. Sleep is when your body repairs itself. Sleep is when your body regulates hormones and balances your weight. Prioritize sleep and you will feel better.

Breathe well- Dr Arthur C Guyton writes " All chronic pain, suffering and diseases are caused from lack of oxygen at the cellular level." Look again at that capillary photo above. Cells receive oxygen two ways: breathing well (we did a blog post about this), and from eating right. Which brings me to my final recommendation:

Eat well- In his book 'Eat to beat depression and anxiety' Drew Ramsey shares that an absolutely shocking number of patients symptoms drastically improved when they ate some version of the Mediterranean diet (lots of greens, fish, nuts, rainbow salads). Eating right oxygenates your cells from the inside out and destroys inflammation (a HUGE hidden pain culprit).

"Some people think that to be strong is to never feel pain. In reality the strongest people are those who feel it, understand it, and accept it."- unknown

What does all of this have to do with Training? Trainers have to know a little bit about pain. Life is a contact sport and our clients often come to us in various states of disrepair. We aren't Docs, but those of us who have lasted in this industry can usually get you moving safely and comfortably for 30-60 minutes; and know when to refer out. This level of sophistication comes with experience, and here at Train we attract the best, most experienced fitness professionals.

That saves us a lot of pain.

Have some pain issues, but want to get healthier? I can't guarantee we'll help, but I can guarantee that every trainer we work with will have a myriad number of ways to try.