Lower back pain and sciatica can be intensely painful. It is usually an injury that has developed over time from repetitive bending with poor form. The bending motion leads to a weakening of the disc annulus which pushes against the nearby nerves. This causes radiating pain down one or both legs (sciatica). The body’s natural protective response is to contract the muscles around the injury site. This leads to persistent “flaring up” of symptoms long after the initial injury has healed a well as it can.

Neck and shoulder pain can be quite painful and often affects one’s sleep. It is usually an injury caused by repetitive poor neck posture. The body’s natural response to the biomechanical imbalance is to over-engage the antagonistic muscles which leads to persisitent pain. When unaddressed, this can lead to a weakening of the disc annulus which can lead to a herniation or bulge. This injury pushes against the nerves causing pain down the neck, shoulder and arm. The body registers this pain and protects the injury site by tensing the muscles around it.

Headaches vary in type and severity. The trigeminal nerve registers senations from the face, throat, neck, ears, eyes, scalp, blood vessels and lining around the brain and transmits it to the thalamus (the brain’s pain “relay centre”). This is why the cause of headaches may not be at the place where it is most painful.

Pain as a result of overuse of a particular body part through work or sport is common. The human body is very good at “coping” and it will strengthen and weaken muscles, limit and extend range of motion and shift posture in order to complete the movement required. In the short-term, this is fine however in the long-term, this leads to muscle strains, compressed nerves and nerve adhesions. An overused body part then becomes an injury site which the body will tense in order to protect it leading to more pain.