This article is based around a question we hear several dozen times a year. The question typically starts with “ My (insert body part here) bothers me.” or “ I have a bad (blank).” Followed by a detailed description of “the problem”. In some cases, there are legitimate physiological issues in place but in a majority of cases the root of your pain is actually weakness or imbalance.
Barring actual injury, chronic pain in your body is most often a flag for weakness or more importantly imbalance. There is something somewhere in the body that’s not doing its job or not doing it well enough. This leads to pain as your body struggles to function against the the weight of the problem. These imbalances will pop up as pain in a corresponding location. Which is why no matter how much you ice your knee, shoulder, back, etc. it never quite solves the problem.
Think of the body like a large and complicated bridge. A relatively small crack in the right spot can cause all kinds of damage and possibly even bring down the bridge, if it is not addressed in time. It all starts with a small weakness somewhere inconspicuous that goes unnoticed for years. Over time, the effects of the small crack radiate throughout the bridge; slowly chipping away at the healthy structure until it begins to show the effects. By the time the problem is realized it is obvious there is an issue but it may take a skilled eye to relate it back to that one crack.
If you can accept that your problem is weakness then your solution is simply strength. Yes, that means with some help you could actually cure that achy old back of yours, reverse your “runners knee”, fix that bum shoulder, etc.
Working to slowly develop the muscles at the root of the problems addressing the initial crack. While teaching the body how to function again, in an appropriate way, is the repair that are now needed on the remainder of the bridge. These steps may seem small but they can move mountains when it comes to chronic pain and dysfunction.
Imagine a day where that problem spot which has bugged you for years is a forgotten memory. That feeling is attainable for many people with some work and the right kind of attention.