Pain alters Movement, and Movement affects Activity. Stop being in pain

It is pretty clear that being in pain alters the way we move and the things we do.  Why do people seem to think that if you just ignore the pain, that things will be fine.  Could it be possible that ignoring pain can make things worse...a lot worse?

 

It is difficult for an observer to measure pain, but it is pretty clear for someone who experiences it.  When we experience pain, it is our brains perception that something is not working properly.  You brain responds by altering the way we move to avoid being in pain.  This is why you limp when you sprain your ankle.  Your brain senses that there is damage to soft tissue in the ankle, and weight bearing will make it worse.  Hence, you will look to move to limit weight bearing on the affected ankle.

So altering movement to avoid pain changes the mechanics throughout the rest of the body.  Going to back to the sprained ankle example; more stresses are placed on the uninjured limb causing muscles to work harder, joints to be under more stress, ligaments to be more strained, while on the affected limb, muscles tend to atrophy, ligaments and joints tend to stiffen with a lack of movement.

Due to the changes in movement about the lower limb, it also affects how we move through the torso and the upper limbs.  Stresses are changed through the spine and we even alter the way that we use our arms. 

We do whatever we can to not be in pain, so why don't people take care of themselves.  I hate the whole notion of "no pain no gain" and really does not have much application to health or fitness.

If you are in pain, you need to look to correct the problem and stop the cascade.  If you move better, you will feel better.