The 5 Traits Shared By The Pain Free- Part 1

Pain free people all share the same 5 key aspects that separate them from those in pain free, and no, it's not their jobs, their genes or good fortune. 

 

The 5 pillars of health; Structural, Chemical, Emotional, Recovery and most importantly Neurological are the cornerstones of any pain free person's foundation. We are going to discuss them each so you can decide which one/s you should invest your time and energy in. 

 

First we start with Neurological health, the linchpin that underlines all other areas of health. Simply put your neurological health is the function and level of control your nervous system, brain and all your nerves, has over your body. Without a nervous system we are nothing, like a very expensive ferrari without an engine, all show and no go. 

 

I can't begin to explain how complex your nervous system is, it is the single most complex and intricate thing in existence. Simply put, your nervous system or your Neurological health controls EVERYTHING. There is not a single function conscious or subconscious that your nervous system does not control. To understand the implications this has on your pain, imagine your nervous system like a limiter on a car. A fully functioning, optimal nervous system allows you to use 100% of your car's horsepower, limited then only by the competency of the driver and nothing else. If you have poor neurological health, this is like being limited to 30mph, this may be enough for day to day activities like going to and from work. But, if you want to do more than that, like go on holiday with the family for example, well that's a 200 mile journey that includes driving on a motorway. Now your 30mph limit is not enough to get you there, especially not in the time you want it to. This is why people in pain may be okay doing day to day essentials like work, but everytime they try to be healthier and start doing more, like walking, running, climbing, golfing, etc they are in pain and “breakdown”. Their vehicle's limiter is too restrictive to do that. 

 

How do we improve our neurological health? Through the other 4 pillars.

 

Starting firstly with our structural health, this is the function of our muscles, tendons, bones, joints, ligaments etc. Think of this like the body work, the chassis and the tires of the car, the better all of these areas work the more performance the car will have on the track. You can always put a huge engine in a small car, but without the tires and brakes the car wont stay on the track, you’ll forever be in the sand pits or track walls. For your structural health to be functioning correctly you need a clear line of communication between the nervous system and your body, so tasks can be carried out accurately and efficiently. If there are any delays or miscommunications your body won't perform optimally. What does this look like? Weak muscles, short inflexible muscles, stiff, restricted and painful joints and lax ligaments. These are often the areas modern healthcare professionals  focus on when addressing pain, why? Because they are often the areas in pain. But to return to our car analogy again. If you had to replace your front left tire 10 times in the same time you had to replace all others just once, is the front left tire the problem? Or is there an underlying problem here?

 

This is the most common mistake I have come across in our industry. Too much attention and energy is invested in the pain generating tissue, and not WHY, that tissue is in pain. That is the duty of an expert clinician. To not accept the first cause as the answer, instead to keep asking why? Like a curious child until they have exhausted all the causes. Then, the clinician can resolve and treat that area, the true cause of the pain and not the effect or symptoms that is pain. 

 

Secondly, Chemical health, this is the fuel you are putting in your car. Are you using leftover frying oil from a takeaway, or are you using rocket fuel? Depending which one of these you use, will influence the performance of your car. Your Chemical health is your diet, nutrition, hormones, intolerances, deficiencies etc. If you are eating poorly, living off caffeine from energy drinks, eating takeaways and excessive amounts of calories, drinking alcohol, with your hormones all out of whack you will not get optimal function out of your car. Eventually after putting this rubbish into your body for long enough you will start to clog up and block filters, restricting the air in your engine until you start coughing black smoke out your exhaust. If you want maximum fuel economy so life is of minimal stress and strain on your body, you will want to fuel your body correctly. Now depending on your level of output this will determine the quality you will need. If you want to go to work and that's it you can get away with supermarket fuel. If you want to start doing more like exercising then you may require premium fuel to sustain that. If you want to look like a Hollywood actor from Gladiators, work, look after the kids, and feel fantastic while doing it.. Then I’d start checking how much jet fuel costs by the gallon. 

 

In Part 2, I will be discussing the role Emotional Health and your Recovery have on your health.