Understanding Pain: What Your Body Is Really Trying to Tell You
Pain is often viewed as a simple warning signal, something to avoid, suppress, or push through. But pain is far more complex. It's a form of communication, a message from the body designed to guide us, protect us, and highlight areas where movement, load, or function has gone off track.
To better understand what pain means, it helps to break down the types of pain people commonly report and the tissues most likely involved.
Types of Pain and What They Suggest
Pain DescriptionCommon Source
Muscle pain – cramping, dull, aching
Ligament or joint capsule pain – dull, aching
Nerve root pain – sharp, shooting
Peripheral nerve pain – sharp, bright, lightning-like
Sympathetic nerve pain – burning, pressure-like, stinging
Bone pain – deep, nagging, dull
Possible fracture pain – sharp, severe, intolerable
Vascular pain – throbbing, diffuse
These patterns give clinicians clues, but they're only part of the story.
Pain rarely exists in isolation. It's influenced by biomechanics, movement patterns, overall health, training load, lifestyle behaviours, and even stress. That's why addressing pain effectively requires more than chasing the symptom.
Pain Is Not Just Local: It's a Whole-Body Experience
Even when pain feels like it's coming from one small area, what you think is often the result of a larger dysfunction.
For example:
Knee pain may be driven by hip weakness or reduced ankle mobility.
Low back stiffness may stem from thoracic immobility or reduced gluteal strength.
Shoulder impingement-style pain can often be traced back to rib cage positioning or core control.
Pain is the result, not always the source.
The body functions as an integrated system, and when one segment fails to perform its job effectively, another often takes over. Over time, this compensation becomes inefficient, overloaded, and painful.
The Biomechanics Behind Pain
Biomechanics plays a central role in how we move, load our bodies, and adapt to stress. When biomechanics are optimal:
Muscles absorb and distribute force efficiently
Joints maintain healthy alignment
Nerves glide freely
Movement feels smooth, strong, and stable
When biomechanics are altered, whether from previous injury, weakness, poor movement habits, or sedentary behaviour, the system becomes imbalanced.
This imbalance often creates:
Excessive load on one joint
Tension in certain muscles
Reduced stability where it's required
Compensatory movement patterns
Irritation of nerves or local tissues
Eventually, this leads to the pain qualities listed above.
Why Treating Only the Painful Area Often Fails
If someone presents with Achilles pain, for instance, it's tempting to focus solely on the tendon. But without addressing:
Hip control
Calf strength
Foot biomechanics
Ankle mobility
Walking and running patterns
…the pain usually returns.
Similarly, treating back pain requires more than mobilising the spine. It requires evaluating the entire kinetic chain, from foot mechanics to thoracic mobility and pelvic stability.
Pain resolution relies on improving the way the whole body moves and functions, not just soothing a single spot.
Movement Is Medicine - When It's Personalised
Evidence-based exercise and functional rehabilitation remain the most effective long-term tools for pain management. The right exercise program:
Restores balanced biomechanics
Improves strength and tissue capacity
Enhances mobility
Reduces compensations
Rebuilds confidence in movement
And most importantly, it helps you understand your body, why the pain occurred and how to prevent it from returning.
Final Thoughts
Pain is not a mistake. It's not a nuisance. It's a message, one that can guide you toward better movement, better function, and a more substantial, healthier body.
By understanding the quality of your pain and addressing biomechanical contributors throughout the entire body, you can move from short-term relief to long-term change.
If pain is holding you back, now is the time to act. Please don't wait for it to worsen or become part of your daily routine. Book an assessment today and learn why your pain is occurring, how your biomechanics are contributing, and what targeted, evidence-based strategies can help you move with confidence again.