Spinal Hygiene Snippet #2 Symptoms Don't Always Tell the Whole Story

How do you know whether you're healthy?

For many of us, the answer is simple:

“I feel fine.”

And when something hurts, we assume something is wrong.

It seems logical—but our bodies are a little more complicated than that.

Symptoms are important—but they aren't the whole story

Pain and other symptoms are valuable. They're one of the ways your body gets your attention and tells you that something needs to be looked at.

But the absence of symptoms doesn't necessarily mean that everything is working perfectly.

And having symptoms doesn't necessarily tell us exactly what is causing them.

This is why I often encourage my patients to look beyond how they feel on a particular day.

Remember what I said in the first Spinal Hygiene Snippet?

“Pain is usually the last thing to show up and the first thing to leave.”

Our bodies can adapt to changes for a long time before we notice anything is wrong.

Think about a cavity

You can develop a cavity without experiencing any pain.

By the time a tooth starts hurting, the problem may have been developing for quite some time.

Our bodies can do something similar.

Changes in the way we move, the way we use our spine, our strength, flexibility and coordination can develop gradually without producing an obvious symptom.

No pain doesn't always mean no problem.

And this is exactly why waiting for pain before looking after your spine isn't the best strategy.

Feeling better is wonderful—but it's not the finish line

The same principle applies when you're recovering from an injury or a period of pain.

When your symptoms improve, that's something to celebrate!

But it doesn't necessarily mean that everything has completely returned to normal.

Your body may still be adapting. Your movement may still be improving. Your strength and coordination may still need attention.

So instead of asking only:

“Does it still hurt?”

we can ask:

“What is my body able to do now?”

Are you moving more freely?

Are everyday activities easier?

Are you sleeping better?

Can you work, exercise or play with your children more comfortably?

Do you feel stronger and more confident in your body?

These are all important signs of progress.

Think of pain like a check-engine light

Imagine you're driving your car and the check-engine light comes on.

You wouldn't put a piece of tape over the light and assume you've fixed the engine.

The light is information. It tells you that something needs attention.

Pain can be similar.

Our goal isn't simply to make the warning light disappear. We want to understand why it came on and help your body function as well as possible.

And when the light goes off, that's great—but we don't necessarily assume that everything underneath the bonnet is perfect.

Your spinal hygiene takeaway

Don't ignore symptoms—but don't let symptoms be your only measure of health either.

Feeling better is an important milestone.

But healthy movement, function, strength, adaptability and the ability to do the things you love are also worth paying attention to.

This is one of the reasons spinal hygiene matters.

We don't brush our teeth only when they hurt. Why should we look after our spine only when it does?

A question to think about this week

If you couldn't use pain as your measure of health, what would you look at instead?

Start noticing what your body can do, not just how it feels.