Most people believe that AGING causes pain.  This is actually not true.

You clearly have pain receptors in your skin.  Pinch yourself… Ouch. There they are.

If aging caused pain, then why don’t we feel our skin aging? Why don’t wrinkles hurt?  

Because aging doesn’t hurt. And multiple studies support this fact.

Aging is a natural, normal process.

So what causes the nagging aches and pains that we all get as we age?

To answer this question, we have to go back.  Waaaaaaaayyyy back… To the days of our primal ancestors.

See, millions of years ago primal man and woman cared about one thing. SURVIVAL.

Pain is probably the most important inherited evolutionary human trait that increases our chances of surviving in the wild.

It helps us to avoid danger, and lets us know when our body is injured and needs care.

So if we’re not in danger, and there’s no new injury, why do we still hurt?

Why is our back chronically sore? Why is our neck always stiff and achy? Why do our feet hurt?  Why do our shoulders and hips feel stiff or pinchy?

The answer lies in a simple concept we all learned back in high school biology: Homeostasis.  

Let me explain…

Homeostasis means balance.

When an organism is in balance, it functions well. When it’s out of balance, it develops symptoms.

Symptoms are our body’s way of telling our brain “Hey dummy, something is wrong! We are out of homeostasis!”

Each body system uses different symptoms to let us know we are out of homeostasis:

Our skin (integumentary system) uses symptoms like rashes and hives.

Our guts (digestive system) use symptoms like nausea and vomiting.

Our muscles and joints (musculoskeletal system) primarily use the symptom called PAIN. 

In other words, if you have chronic pain in your muscles and joints, you are out of homeostasis.

YOU ARE OUT OF BALANCE!

I explain this concept to my patients in this way: Your body is like a guitar, and your muscles are like guitar strings.

If some strings are too tight, and others are too loose and weak, the guitar will sound like crap.

Your daily tasks like cooking, cleaning, walking, lifting, bending, and exercising, are the different songs your body needs to play.

And if your body is out of tune, you’re going to feel like crap.

You don’t have aches and pains because you're aging. You have aches and pain because you’re trying to get through your day using an out-of-tune body.

So what do most of us do when we start to experience pain?

PAIN FREEDOM SECRETS… OF tHE caVEmaN The Evolutionary Chronic Pain Solution Most Doctors Don’t Know About

We slow down, or even worse, we stop doing certain activities we love. Does that really help?

Let me ask you a few questions… When you’re driving in your car and the CHECK ENGINE light turns on (by the way, that’s the car’s version of a symptom, “hey dummy, somethings wrong”)…

Does slowing your car down solve the problem? Nope.

Does pulling over and resting your car solve the problem? Nope.

Does resetting the warning light solve the problem? Nope.

What solves the problem?  Fixing the cause!!!

So why do we think that just slowing down, or resting, or shutting off our symptoms with pain medication, is going to solve our problem? It doesn’t.

Even if our body “heals itself,” if the unresolved imbalances that caused the problem persists, the pain will always return!

This is why people throw their back out or sprain the same ankle over and over again.

So what actually solves the problem for good? Restoring homeostasis!  Restoring balance to our musculoskeletal system.

After all, the symptom is ONLY there to tell us we are out of tune.

In my clinic we have one motto:  “BALANCE THE SYSTEM TO ELIMINATE THE SYMPTOM.”

That’s how my therapists at MOMENT Physical Therapy achieve lasting results for our patients and clients.

Exercise, stretching, massage, joint work… These are not pain relievers. They’re not designed to just put masking tape over the check engine light so you feel better today.

At MOMENT Physical Therapy we balance your musculoskeletal system and fix the CAUSE of the problem!

Most doctors just don’t understand this. They believe that the problem is resolved by treating the symptom.

But now you know better.

There is only one path to pain freedom, and I didn’t make it up. Evolution did. 

IF YOU’RE STILL IN PAIN, THEN YOUR SYSTEM IS OUT OF BALANCE.

AND WE CAN HELP.

ABoUt ThE aUThoR: Dr. Jared Cooper is a physical therapist and the founder and clinical director of MOMENT Physical Therapy located in Madison, NJ. With over 20 years of experience in the health and wellness field, he has taught, treated or trained thousands of patients and clients from across the country. He is an ongoing clinical instructor for Seton Hall and Rutgers DPT programs, and for the Morristown Medical Osteopathic Manual Therapy Fellowship. Because of his work as a pioneer in the field of integrated fitness, Dr. Cooper has been featured on ABC News, in The Wall Street Journal, The NY Sun, and The Chicago Tribune. Dr. Cooper earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Southern California.  

HOW YOU CAN GET OUR HELP…MOMENT Physical Therapy | Located in Madison, NJ

CALL (973) 295-6460

or visit www.momentpt.com to get your FREE ASSESSMENT.