How Pain Originates In the Body

Back pain affects 80% of Americans at some time in their lives. It comes in many forms, from lower back pain, middle back pain, or upper back pain to low back pain with sciatica. Common back pain causes nerve and muscular problems, degenerative disc disease, and arthritis.

For many, the injury is triggered by a strenuous activity like weight lifting. Others simply bend down to pick up a pencil and their back gives out. People with musculoskeletal pain sometimes complain that their entire bodies ache. Their muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked. Sometimes the muscles twitch or burn. Symptoms vary from person to person, but the common symptoms are: Pain, Fatigue, Sleep disturbances and Numbness.

The human body maintains life and health in an amazing way. Each individual cell performs an activity that contributes to the body's overall function. Nerve impulses transmit information to maintain a balanced internal environment - called homeostasis. Every day, life situations threaten to disrupt that balance. Physical traumas, strains and emotional stress undermine homeostasis. This imbalance leads to aches and pains which left untreated may result in physiological dysfunction.

Pain is a very important indicator for us to pay attention and change what we are doing to protect us from harm. Pain is actually created by the brain - for good reasons. The response may be a protective mechanism of PAIN.

We know that nerves carry impulses, or signals, from the body’s tissues that tell the brain about the state of the tissues. Information such as excessive stretch, excessive strain, over-compression, tearing, bleeding, swelling etc. is transmitted to the brain. Once the brain receives these signals then the brain decides on best approach to protect the body. Without this protective response we would be much more likely to do more severe damage to ourselves, and for this reason pain is a very successful protective mechanism.