What is causing my pain?

You may assume your back hurts because of bad posture, or your knees hurt from your long run the other day. However, don't be so quick to write your pain off, says Matt Franklin, DPT. If you're experiencing regular pain in certain parts of your body, the pain may be caused by many factors that are much more complex than you thought.

Keep reading to find out what Dr. Franklin says is often contributing to the most common forms of pain we experience.

Low Back Pain:

Low back pain is the most common form of pain there is. Just type in “low back pain” on Google and see how many different gimmicks, treatment devices, etc. that you will come across. However low back pain cannot be miraculously fixed by some simple exercise you do twice a day. The low back, and even the human body for that matter, is very complex and makes understanding what’s causing someone’s pain even more difficult than it may originally seem. Low back pain, just like the other conditions listed below, can be caused by a wide variety of things. It may be coming from the low back itself, such as a herniated disc or poorly-moving lumbar facet joint. It may also be what is called “referred” pain which may feel like it’s coming from the low back, but may actually be caused by something affecting the pelvis, hip, or even thoracic spine. These conditions, along with muscular imbalances can even combine and make finding the solution more difficult.

Neck/Shoulder Pain:

The cervical spine, or neck, functions for increased mobility so that we can move our head in many different directions. Along with the cervical spine, the shoulder joint is also a very mobile part of the body. These two regions of the body can frequently become injured because there is less stability, sacrificed for the increased mobility that is needed. This can sometimes result in instability, tightness or muscular imbalances within the neck or shoulder, and even lead to thoracic spine pain (pain in the mid back).

Knee Pain:

Knee pain can often times be more site specific due to an actual mechanism of injury like you might see during a sporting event or from a fall. These types of injuries include meniscus, ligament damage, and often times will have increased swelling within the knee. Other types of knee injuries may be caused by muscular imbalances from the quadriceps or hamstring muscles. Less obvious reasons include poor ankle mechanics, hip mechanics, and even some improper shoe fitting.

As you can see, there can be quite a few reasons as to why you’re experiencing pain. Please keep in mind, this list is not comprehensive. This is why it’s very important for you to visit a physical therapist who can properly diagnose and treat conditions that may limit someone’s ability to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.

performperson functional activities in their daily lives.

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