Chronic pain can be one of the most frustrating experiences for anyone. Unlike the pain from an injury, which eventually heals, chronic pain seems to stick around for months, or even years, often without a clear cause.
But what if I told you that your body’s pain system, which is designed to protect you, could actually be the reason you’re still suffering? In this article, I will explain how your body’s natural alarm system can become hypersensitive, leading to chronic pain, and how chiropractic care can help reset this system.
Our bodies are equipped with a highly effective alarm system to keep us safe. When you touch something hot, step on something sharp, or strain a muscle, pain signals are sent to your brain to warn you of danger.
This pain makes you aware of the injury, helping you avoid further harm. Think of it like a smoke alarm that goes off when there’s a fire.
However, just like a smoke alarm can malfunction and go off without any smoke, your body’s pain system can become overactive.
When this happens, it sends out pain signals even when there’s no real danger. This is the essence of chronic pain—a nervous system that’s too sensitive, triggering pain even though the original cause of the injury has healed.
This hypersensitivity can happen for many reasons. After an injury, your brain can start to misinterpret normal sensations as threats, and your nervous system remains in a constant state of high alert.
Unfortunately, this overprotective system doesn’t know when to stop, leaving you in pain long after the injury should have healed.
Chiropractic care plays a key role in addressing chronic pain by helping to “reset” your overactive nervous system. Here’s how:
Your spine houses a significant part of your nervous system. Neuromechanical dysfunction in the spine, known as vertebral subluxations, can interfere with the way your brain and body communicate.
When these signals are interrupted or distorted, it can contribute to the nervous system staying in that hypersensitive, overprotective state.
Chiropractors are trained to find and correct this subluxation, which can help restore proper communication between your brain and the rest of your body.
Chronic pain often leads to abnormal movement patterns as your body compensates for the discomfort. Over time, this can cause stiffness, reduced mobility, and even more pain.
By using gentle spinal adjustments and improving your breathing, chiropractors can help restore normal movement to your joints, improving your body’s ability to move freely and reducing pain.
Chronic pain is often associated with inflammation and tight muscles. When the nervous system is in a state of heightened alert, your muscles can stay tense for extended periods, adding to your discomfort.
Chiropractic care may help release this tension, which can reduce inflammation and promote a more relaxed, balanced state for your muscles and joints. Part of your chiropractic care may also include looking at nutritional toxicity/deficiency that might be a key driver of inflammation.
Chiropractic care is not just about treating symptoms; it’s about helping your body heal. By improving nervous system function, reducing inflammation, and restoring proper movement, chiropractic adjustments encourage your body to repair and recover.
This can help calm your nervous system down, allowing it to stop sending out those unnecessary pain signals. At Ewell Chiropractic we have a strong emphasis on empowering you with awareness, breathwork and exercises to help you to help yourself.
Chiropractic care for chronic pain typically involves a personalised approach. Your chiropractor will start by taking a thorough health history and conducting a physical examination. They may also take X-rays or other tests to better understand the state of your spine and nervous system.
From there, your chiropractor will develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will likely include a series of spinal, pelvic and cranial adjustments, as well as advice on posture, movement, and lifestyle changes to support your recovery.
The goal is not just to manage the pain but to address the root cause of the hypersensitive nervous system.
Chronic pain can feel like a never-ending cycle, but you don’t have to live with it forever. By understanding how your body’s alarm system works—and how it can sometimes go awry—you can begin to take control of your pain.
Chiropractic care offers a natural, non-invasive solution to help reset your nervous system, reduce pain, and improve your overall quality of life.
If you’ve been struggling with chronic pain, chiropractic care could be the answer to helping your body finally switch off its overprotective alarm system. Book an appointment today and take the first step towards relief.
Ewell Chiropractic
9A Cheam Road, Ewell, Epsom KT17 1SP
Our practice is next to the central car park in the Ewell village if you travel by car. And just a 10-minute wander from both train stations in Ewell.
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