Did you know that a research study found no correlation between heavy lifting and chronic pain? None! It also found no connection between car accidents and chronic pain. No connection between household activities and chronic pain. The study found that there was no external event that could be tied to the presence of chronic low back pain in people in their study. None.

How could that possibly be true? It may seem totally contrary to what you think about pain, but scientists agree that chronic pain (the kind that lasts more than a few days) is not caused by physical events.

In fact, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that there is “little direct evidence that most back pain stems from a discrete injury or repetitive trauma.”

So what then, is the cause of pain?

Pain is caused by a complicated neurological, biochemical and psycho-social process. One of my favorite books on the subject is this graphic novel Pain Is Really Strange. It addresses the complexity of pain in some really good ways. If you want to learn more about the mental, emotional and neurological components of pain, I highly recommend Pain Is Really Strange.

The good news is that there is a lot you can do to decrease pain! Chiropractic care is one of the best ways to address these issues. We can impact your neurological experience of pain and reset your pain thresholds. Call the office at 847-869-1313 to set up an appointment for treatment. Between your adjustments, there are some exercises you can do to help. Here is one of my favorites. Here is another.

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