This is a common misconception that we don’t need treatment if we don’t have pain. The reality is that pain is actually a poor indicator of our body’s function overall. This is typically the last symptom to show up and the first to go away when receiving care. What does that mean? That means that the human body is actually really good and effective at covering up the damage that is happening in the body until it is unable to do this any further. In most cases we can have years or even decades of damage that has settled into the body before it gives in and sends out pain signals for that person to have a call to action. Now if we have waited for that pain signal then we will most likely have a higher hill to climb in order to get the body back to normal. In respect to the spine, this issue gets even further convoluted because only 10% of the nerves that travel out of the spine will actually be able to give the pain signal to the brain for damage that has been done in the area. 10% is a very small subset which again usually equates to more damage needing to be done in the area before we have awareness created.
We should always be proactive when dealing with the human body and be focused on trying to elevate and build our body up with most choices we have throughout the day. Being proactive with adjustments helps to mitigate the big breakdowns that may happen when we put our body through an abnormal stressor. This also helps to keep our nervous system communicating at its highest level, which is the most important part of chiropractic. The nervous system controls every process that happens in the human body. If we interfere with that communication then breakdowns will start to happen because the body is no longer being told its correct function, but instead it is having to assume and make up its responsibilities. If you think about a garden hose the water will flow at the best rate and stream with no outside pressure. However if you kink the hose then the water output is going to be less. Our nerves work the same way when placed under pressure and tension for sustained periods of time. Do we want our heart getting 1/4 of the proper functioning orders to work properly? I would hope everyone would say not. If your heart is getting 1/4 of its correct signaling for years of your life, then is it possible for there to be breakdowns such as abnormal heart growth, high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and heart attacks? Dysfunctions that I just mentioned are not things that we are just destined to get in life, they are representations of abnormal stress on the body over time.
The human body is a complex and dynamic organism that can break down to stress and toxins over time but maintaining our body is work. We have to constantly be taking care of it or it will break down as we age and decrease quality of life and life expectancy.