Understanding Pain and Why It Happens

After graduating and starting my practice in 2007, I have treated many patients with muscle, nerve, and joint pain—also known as neuromusculoskeletal pain. Over the years, I have seen many patients respond well to conservative care and improve quickly. However, I have also worked with patients who take longer to improve, require ongoing care, or do not respond as expected.

My goal has always been to help patients improve their health and return to normal life as quickly as possible. Because of this, I began asking an important question: Why do some patients respond better than others?

Why Pain Happens Without Injury

Many patients come into the office and describe a new pain that started without a clear injury and continues to worsen over time. A common response I hear is, “I think it’s just because I’m getting older.”

While that may seem reasonable, it becomes more concerning when younger patients—even those in their twenties—say the same thing.

Today, people of all ages experience significant pain from relatively minor causes. Because of this pattern, I began looking deeper into why this happens and how to better help patients dealing with chronic or recurring pain.

Looking Beyond Posture Alone

At first, I believed posture played the primary role. I focused on improving how patients stand, sit, and work. To better address this, I completed additional training in posture and manual therapy and became a Certified Posture Expert.

Posture absolutely matters, and this training has helped many patients. However, it did not fully explain why some people continued to struggle with pain despite improving their posture.

This led me to continue searching for better answers.

The Role of Functional Medicine

That search led me to functional medicine, which helped me better understand the missing connections behind many cases of neuromusculoskeletal pain.

Pain often results from dysfunction. This dysfunction may come from:

  • Mechanical issues such as poor movement patterns
  • Nutritional imbalances
  • Chronic inflammation
  • Prolonged stress that affects hormone balance
  • Other underlying factors within the body

Regardless of the cause, these dysfunctions can lead to pain—and in many cases, chronic pain.

Many patients are not dealing with a diagnosed disease but instead are experiencing a state of dysfunction. Functional medicine focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of that dysfunction so the body can begin to correct itself.

For more information on how lifestyle and inflammation impact the body, you can review this Cleveland Clinic article on inflammation.

A More Complete Approach to Care

At Alta Mountain Chiropractic, we combine traditional chiropractic care with a broader approach that may include:

This approach allows us to address both the mechanical and internal factors that contribute to pain.

Our Ongoing Goal

My goal is to continue building a strong functional medicine foundation at Alta Mountain Chiropractic. By expanding treatment options and focusing on root causes, we aim to help patients restore proper function and support the body’s natural healing process.

If you are searching for help with chronic pain near me or natural treatment options for joint and muscle pain, this approach may provide the answers you’ve been looking for.

Dr. Nathan T. Eldredge, DC, CPE