There was a time before pain took control...
As a child, or in our teens and twenties. What couldn't we do! Running and jumping; climbing or dancing.
Our body was invincible then. There were no precautions to take. No strapping to wear or medication to swallow. The thing just worked and did our bidding, no matter how mad or reckless we were.
We took no heed of older people with their stiff joints, groaning as they got up. Their problems meant nothing to us, in our physical prime. Little knowing that here lay our future, not so many years ahead.
Our time in this active nirvana is short. It's not long before some part of us starts to ache. Coming and going at first. Then more often, stronger and more continuous.This low-level grumbling goes on for a few years.
We put up with it...
...or do less of what makes it worse.
And we are still masters of our ship. Still in control.
Then sometime down the line, the symptoms suddenly escalate. There may be an accident or strain. Many times they blow up for no apparent reason.But here is where the serious pain starts. The type of pain that we can't ignore. It demands attention.
Our lives becomes limited by discomfort. We find ourselves always calculating how to move. Will my back, neck, shoulder or knee be able to cope with what I need to do? How can I sit, lie, or move without making the pain worse?
The freedom of action we enjoyed is a dim memory. Our once compliant body has changed into a tetchy and fragile ogre.Chronic pain now rules our life and dogs every move we make.
Millions of people find themselves in this situation. I am not going to offer any glib solution to such a massive problem. However,chronic pain is caused by a predictable sequence of physical events and there is a way back to wellbeing.