I Didn't Do Anything, Why Does it Hurt?

This is the inevitable question as we all get older. Why does so little activity hurt so bad? Doing the dishes, going up/down stairs, vacuuming, sweeping, light gardening, etc. These are all things that are fairly simple, but are some of the biggest complaints among patients. The common theme is, “I took it easy like you said, I didn’t do a lot over the weekend, but my (insert body part) hurts, why?”

Short answer: Muscle memory.

What does this mean?

Now for the long term explanation. Muscle memory is also known as Neuromuscular adaptations. To put it simply: The body encounters many events and injuries throughout our lives. In a sense the body is like a journal. Over time these “journal entries or injuries” leave marks on the body and it learns to adapt around these injuries. 

Ever have a body part that bothered you for more than a month (knee/shoulder) but then just faded with time? Maybe it gets a little irritating at times, but you learned how to “take it easy.” That is undoubtedly your body adapting to the injury, not necessarily the injury fixing itself. With continued irritating activity the problem will likely worsen over time causing more compensations. The body continues to learn these movement patterns to avoid pain, but ends up causing secondary pain because the movement is unnatural and the body is saying “something is wrong.”

When the body gets to this point, oftentimes there will be a lot of arthritis around the body part in question because it has been used improperly for many months, years, or even decades. 

Many physicians might say the reason for the pain in the area is due to arthritis. However, my questioning mind may say “how did the arthritis get there in the first place?” Joint degenerate due to improper movement and use. If joints move properly, they track like trains on rails, but if the body starts moving differently due to old scar tissue and restrictions, suddenly the movement may look more like cars on the I-10 moving all over the place to find a way through traffic.

It is important to look at the body as a whole to ensure proper movement of all areas and not just the place where the pain is. Remember that we experience pain from things that move too much or work too hard, not things that don’t move.

Understanding this biomechanics principle will help you understand why pain is a constant even with simple activities. Moving exactly the same way you moved the past 20 years will eventually wear out the areas of strain, this is why many people are still in pain even after surgery.

Fix the underlying problem and improve your move today with 1 on 1 treatments from Dr. Taylor Jump at Jump 4 Wellness.

(520) 415-0747

taylorjump@jump4wellness.com