The Quick Fix: The "Magic Pill" How come it takes me so long to get better?

"How come this is taking so long to get better."  Its a question I get asked all the time.

I realize that sometimes it is difficult to understand because we cannot "see" what the problem really is. 

This is common for back and neck pain.  The pain generator is generally something you cannot see.  For example, the joints may have become restricted, or there may be a mild muscle strain.  You feel SUBJECTIVE (what you feel) symptoms such as tightness, ache, pinching, stabbing.  However, you cannot OBJECTIVELY (what you can see or measure) determine the cause of the pain (and this is where people google their symptoms and come up with a hilarious number of possible causes!) 

I like to describe it in a way that most people would understand:

Imagine you cut your finger.  If it is a small cut, self care may be an option, but it does require care and (depending on the size of the cut) time to heal.  It will not heal overnight.

If you were to cut your finger with a larger cut, you would likely seek a professional to help (ie. may need stitches.)  This would require close (acute) care for several days to weeks (depending on the size of the cut) with numerous follow up visits to ensure that healing continues on the correct path.  

There are numerous factors involved in healing of the cut, as well as healing of the things that you cannot see.  Some of the aggravating factors can include work and daily activities, sleep and nutritional status. 

So unfortunately with injury, there is no "Magic Pill"  However, if you do take good care of yourself (and with a bit of treatment) injuries will improve much more quickly.