Do you have shoulder pain that seems to never go away?
Has it been weeks, months, or even years since your shoulder(s) were pain-free?
If you’re like most people, you’ve likely assumed that surgery is the only way to get out of pain, so you’re putting it off as long as possible.
You’re avoiding doing things you want to do, like playing sports or exercising, and you dread doing chores around the house that require reaching overhead.
We get it; we’ve been there and worked with thousands of people in the same situation.
Here’s the deal: surgery isn’t your only option.
Why?
It’s simple when you understand how pain works.
Pain doesn’t equal damage.
It’s logical to think that when something hurts, the pain is caused by the muscles or other tissues being damaged.
That CAN be true, but that’s typically only the case when the injury is fresh. After 6 weeks or so, the injury has healed.
So if it’s healed and the pain isn’t coming from damage, why does it still hurt?
It’s usually your nervous system.
What does your nervous system have to do with it?
Pain is the alarm system of your nervous system, and when something has been painful for a while, that alarm system gets gut “stuck” in the ON position.
This happens because your nervous system doesn’t feel safe. It believes the previously injured body part can’t handle the stress, so it sends pain signals to stop you from using it.
How do you fix it?
We use a strategy called desensitize and load; here’s what that means.
Have you ever stepped into a hot bath when your feet are cold?
How does it feel?
It’s painful on your feet, right?
Why?
The shock of going from one extreme to another is alarming, so your nervous system sends a pain signal even though the water isn’t hot enough to hurt you.
You know the water won’t hurt you, so you tough it out, and a few moments later, your whole body is relaxing in the water.
That’s an example of desensitization.
We do the same thing with movement by gradually adding motion to build confidence in your nervous system.
What about loading? What does that mean?
Part of the reason your nervous system doesn’t feel confident is because it shouldn’t.
When something is injured in your body, say a tendon or a ligament, it’s still weak after the pain goes away.
Your nervous system knows this, and you guessed it, it sends pain signals to keep the vulnerable area safe.
How do you make something in your body that’s weak stronger?
You load it up, aka you add resistance (body weight, resistance training, etc.)
Does it work?
We’ve helped over 14,000 people worldwide get out of pain without going to the doctor or missing out on their active lifestyles.
Most of those people didn’t come to us first.
They have been in pain for a LONG time, and the “desensitize and load” principle was used in nearly every case to help them get out of pain and reclaim their lives.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you get out of pain and avoid surgery, book a call below.
