The Purpose of Pain

When you’re in pain, you likely have only one goal—to get out of it. Believe it or not, pain is not always a bad thing. Although it may be unpleasant, pain can also be an important part of staying healthy. Simply treating the symptom of pain can even be dangerous. This fact is especially true in the case of back pain and other spinal disorders. Here’s what you need to know about the purpose of pain.

What Is the Value of Pain?

Pain is disruptive for a good reason. It is your body’s early warning system. Pain tells you that something is wrong, even when you don’t have any other symptoms. For instance, in the case of back pain, the discomfort could be an indication of a herniated disc that might have become disabling if the pain hadn’t prompted you to seek treatment. Pain also helps prevent injury. For example, when you touch something hot, pain makes you jerk your hand away. If you didn’t feel pain, you could leave your hand on that hot surface for longer and end up with serious burns. In a similar manner, pain that occurs during a certain activity can serve as a warning that you should stop before an injury occurs.

What Is Wrong With Just Treating Pain?

When you’re dealing with back pain, neck pain, or other types of chronic pain, treating your discomfort alone isn’t enough. It can even be dangerous. When you manage pain without addressing the underlying cause, you could be missing the opportunity to address a serious medical issue in its early stages. You could also cause further damage to the affected area. For example, treating back pain without correcting the underlying cause could lead to spine damage that requires much more invasive treatment. At the Spine Institute of Nevada, getting you out of back pain and neck pain for good is our goal. In addition to pain management, we can also diagnose and treat the cause of your pain so that you can safely get back to doing the things you love. Call us at 702-239-3787 to schedule a consultation.