Pain and the Brain: Why Sensitivity ≠ Damage

Most people grow up thinking pain means something is damaged. If your back hurts, something must be “out.” If your knee aches after a run, you must have injured it. But modern research shows that pain doesn’t work that way — and this is one of the biggest things we teach patients at Momentum Spine and Sport.

Pain is more like an alarm system than a damage detector. Just like a smoke alarm can go off when you burn toast, your nerves can sound the alarm even when nothing serious is happening. This is why you can feel a lot of pain with very little tissue irritation… and why many people with disc bulges, arthritis, or stenosis have zero pain at all.

Your nervous system becomes more sensitive when you’re stressed, tired, not moving much, or doing too much too soon. That sensitivity creates pain, even without injury. The good news? The alarm system can also calm down. Movement, strength training, breathing, consistent loading, and improving confidence in your body all help turn the volume down.

Understanding this changes everything. You stop assuming the worst. You move with more confidence. You recover faster. Most importantly, you realize your body isn’t fragile — it’s adaptable.

If you’re dealing with pain that doesn’t make sense or keeps returning, we can help you figure out what’s really going on and how to fix it. Schedule a free Discovery Visit and let’s get you moving forward again.