Your treatment shouldn't hurt? Let's talk about that.

I recently came across a post where the headline was…

“Psst…Your massage shouldn’t cause you pain.”

The caption read…

“Your massage shouldn’t cause you pain. Pain does not equal healing, and treatment doesn’t need to be uncomfortable in order to be effective.”

But wait…pain and discomfort are 2 very distinct entities.

So…here was my response.

Remember, discomfort and pain are two very different things.

Discomfort, or more accurately nociception, is the sensory aspect of what you feel (an input), while pain is a negative emotional experience paired with that sensation (an output).

Neurologically, we are wired to attach emotion to discomfort. However, sometimes that emotion can actually be positive, like when we perceive the sensation as therapeutic, productive, or meaningful…similar to getting a tattoo, exercising hard, or stretching into stiffness.

Discomfort can also be part of healing.

Some healing and adaptation processes require the body to temporarily increase sensitivity, inflammation, immune activity, remodeling, or adaptation. Those processes can feel uncomfortable, yet still be beneficial. The opposite is also true. Discomfort can represent overload, irritation, excessive threat, or sensitization.

The body often works through a simple pattern-

Challenge → Adapt → Recover

A controlled, tolerable challenge can help reduce sensitivity, improve movement, and create positive adaptation over time. But excessive or poorly tolerated discomfort can amplify threat and sensitization instead.

Good treatment can challenge the system, but the goal isn’t pain for pain’s sake.

The goal is positive change afterward. :)

TIL next week remember discomfort is great, pain is bad, and knowing the difference is the ultimate neurohack!

Sherry & Rob