Pain is different for everyone – it can be normal and manageable for some, while concerning and debilitating for others.

One of the most common reasons why people seek healthcare is pain, often to reduce or eliminate it.

How attainable is the goal of being pain-free?

Impossible (more or less), which is unfortunate… Or is it?

If we didn’t experience pain, then we wouldn’t have that protective buffer that’s helped us and saved us on numerous occasions.

Pain is what tells us to stop touching that hot frying pan, otherwise we might burn our hand.

Pain is what tells us not to use or load that broken bone, otherwise we might make things worse.

For acute injuries or potential injuries, pain can be protective and helpful. In contrast, pain that persists for too long tends to be the opposite – overprotective and not as helpful.

Setting the goal of becoming entirely pain-free is setting an unrealistic goal.

Instead of a pain-focused goal (being pain-free), it can help to shift to a function-focused goal (being able to do more with the same pain, or being able to do more before you experience the same pain).

Sometimes if you’ve had pain for a long time and you’ve seen many practitioners and tried several treatments, shifting to a more achievable goal may make the difference.

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References: Image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pain_scale_with_words.png