Have an ache or pain? Here's why you shouldn't expect pain medications to fix you.
If you’re a “unicorn” that has never had pain, then this blog is not for you.
If you’re like the rest of us and have:
Had an occasional (or frequent) headache or pain in your back, neck, knee, hip, shoulder, etc.
Used medications for pain
The relief from pain medications doesn’t last
Then this post is for you. Keep reading!
When a patient comes into the office, we want to know what they’ve tried at home for pain relief and what has helped. What helps or aggravates your pain tells us a ton about what is going on. If someone comes in for help with back pain, the exchange usually goes like this:
Us: What can you do to make your pain worse? Any positions or movements that will consistently aggravate the pain?
Patient: Sitting makes it worse, but it’s usually better if I get up and walk.
Us: Ok. Is there anything you’ve been able to do at home to take the edge off your pain? Any movements, positions, stretches, or medications?
Patient: I didn’t notice any stretches that would help, but I took ibuprofen and laid down.
Us: Did that help?
Patient: Yes, for a few hours, and then it came back again.
For a lot of people, the first thing they look to for pain relief is a medication like Tylenol or ibuprofen.
Knee giving you some trouble? Pop a few NSAIDs. Nagging headache? Take some Tylenol.
I don’t fault anyone for using this approach — in fact, it’s what I did for myself through most of high school. Even if it’s a common approach, it’s not a very effective one. Especially as a long-term strategy.
Here’s why: You don’t have pain in your [fill in the blank here] because you weren’t taking enough pain medication. One of our mentors, Dr. Brett Winchester, has said “I promise your headache is not due to an aspirin deficiency.”
In the vast majority of people with muscle and joint pain, pain occurs because some part of the body is taking on more load than it is supposed to — NOT because you weren’t taking enough ibuprofen.
Our bodies are incredibly resilient, but all structures have a tipping point. Your muscles, tendons, ligaments, meniscus, labrum — you name it — can only take so much stress before pain or injury occurs. Pain doesn’t necessarily mean a structure or tissue is injured, but it does tell us that something isn’t right. Pain, like a “check engine light,” tells us that we need to look a little deeper to find out what’s going on.
If a medication helps your headache, or back pain, or knee pain, but your pain comes back, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Not getting lasting relief from pain medication can be frustrating for sure, but it doesn’t mean that nothing can help you. It just means that your problem isn’t the result of a medication deficiency.
Seems simple enough, right?
We recently got a new poster in our office that says “You can’t medicate your way out of a problem you behaved your way into.” We love it, and that line is worth repeating:
You can’t medicate your way out of a problem you behaved your way into.
If your headaches, back pain, knee pain, etc. are a result of the way you use your muscles and joints, i.e. a mechanical (or motion-control, load, or behavior) problem, then medications, i.e. a chemical treatment, won’t provide the long-term solution you're looking for. Chemical solutions won’t fix motion problems. Chemical solutions won’t fix behavior problems. Medications for motion problems are just a bandage. They won’t fix you. Movement problems require movement solutions. Behavior problems require behavior solutions.
If your back hurts because your back muscles are overworked...
If your hip hurts because it’s stiff and not moving enough...
If you have daily tension headaches because you sit with your head forward at a desk breathe with your shoulder muscles all day long…
… And your pain comes back when your pain medications wear off, that does not mean that your pain can’t be “fixed.” It just means the fix you were trying wasn’t addressing the reason why you had pain in the first place.
If you’ve been struggling with the same nagging pain for weeks, months, or even years, I want you to know that it doesn’t mean you’re destined to have that pain forever. You aren’t “unfixable” just because the medications (or sometimes even surgery!) didn’t “fix” you.
Even if your case isn’t a chiropractic case, I can guarantee that your back pain is not the result of a pain medication deficiency.
At Midwest Movement, we provide biomechanical solutions to biomechanical problems. If your pain is caused by a movement problem or muscle imbalance, medications, injections, and surgeries likely won’t provide the lasting fix you want. However, the conservative therapies offered in our office will address the reason your pain began in the first place. We take a natural, non-invasive, hands-on approach to musculoskeletal care. Our bodies respond best to hands-on treatments, and they’re all that’s needed to resolve most muscle and joint complaints.
It’s the perfect solution: non-invasive, low risk, simple, effective.
Have a question about how we can help you? Please send them our way! Click here to shoot us an email or text or call us at (402) 256 6683. Consultations are always complimentary, and if we aren’t the right people to help you, we’ll make sure you get to the right place.