The multifactorial causes of pain

I sit here on my front porch, snuggled up next to Derry, fresh tea next to me, and a beautiful, Berkshire day in front of me. Grateful & grounded. But I also sit here with a back injury that has sidelined me harder than anything else in a really long time. Now I am no stranger to pain-- having played college sports, ran too many miles, dealt with mysterious illnesses, had surgeries, and experienced excruciating nerve place. And yes, I experience aches and pains and soreness just like everyone else.

But woof, this back pain recently. If it isn't a lesson in rest, slowing down and listening to my own advice... I don't know what is.

My back has been bothering me on and off for a week or so and the question I have received the most is "What did you do?" Now it's not always a wrong assumption but there is an assumption that if you are injured or in pain, you must have done something wrong. It's interesting.

The thing most people don't realize is that pain is so multifactorial. While yes, sometimes there is a precipitating event to an injury or pain, that is not always the case. Pain in our physical body can be due to or exacerbated by stress, pent-up emotions, lack of mobility, nervous system dysregulation, mechanical injury, and inflammation (and I am sure I am missing some things here). The point is pain isn't YOUR fault. You didn't necessarily do anything wrong.

Pain is our body talking. Pain is a signal from our bodies that they are under threat, that they don’t feel safe.

Pain is a signal to look for a different way, to slow down.

I often chat in my yoga classes, especially the first few moments, that this is a practice of opening up to communication between the mind and body. So many of us, myself included, move through this world on autopilot, from one thing to the next to the next, never stopping to ask ourselves how we feel or what we need. We move through our days just going instead of really feeling or listening.

And often that can lead us to discomfort— emotional, mental, physical, and sometimes all three.

So yes, as I sit here, I can totally pinpoint a few reasons why my back is bothering me so much:

1. I started split squatting too much weight too soon

2. I have been under a lot of stress the past few weeks and working longer hours

3. I haven’t been exercising or practice yoga as much as I normally do.

4. I “forgot” my back was bothering me and picked up something REALLY heavy in the garden.

5. I have been feeling a lot of uncertainty in my life and my career

6. I tried running for the first time since the Fall this week.

The root of all of it though comes back to this… I wasn’t listening to my body.

I preach tuning in and listening. I teach mindfulness and body awareness. And sometimes, I still get lost. I still don’t listen.

I’m only human.

But the one thing I do, is learn. I learn from my body, from my pain and from the process. This learning not only serves me in the future but serves my clients. Because yes, pain is so multifactorial and at the same time, I would guess most of us have had similar experiences at some point in our lives.

Wherever you are in your journey, whether you’re experiencing pain or yo have in the past, I Want you to remember….

You didn’t do anything wrong

AND

you are not alone.