28/02/2024
โ Structural changes do not ALWAYS mean you will have pain/symptoms
๐ But yes, these changes CAN contribute at times
However...
๐๐ผ You should know that you CAN also live completely normally and pain free even WITH structural changes present
โ๏ธ How?
๐ฏ Well, to keep things short, tissue changes, injury, and/or pathology are NOT directly linked to pain
๐คฏ You can have pain in the presence of injury, but you can also have pain WITHOUT it!
๐๐ป That's why people can sprain their ankle in a game and continue to play on it even with multiple torn ligaments, or continue to fight in a battle after half a leg has been blown off, or have multiple bruises on the body and never remember how they even got there (those are just a FEW EXAMPLES)
๐ซ It's also why someone pinching you can hurt a lot without causing any actual tissue damage , or why stress or lack of sleep can make your upper back and shoulders ache really bad, or why even the thought of unpleasant memories/experiences can make things hurt worse
๐ฏ And it's also why this many people (based off of a study of 3110 individuals from 1946 to 2014) can have "pathology" present in their spine but WITHOUT PAIN or dysfunction!
โ๏ธ The take away?
๐ฏ Structural changes seem to be more highly correlated with NORMAL AGING than with pathology/dysfunction
๐จ๐ปAs the authors of this study summarized:
"Imaging findings of spine degeneration are present in high proportions of asymptomatic individuals, increasing with age. Many imaging-based degenerative features are likely part of normal aging and unassociated with pain. These imaging findings must be interpreted in the CONTEXT of the patient's clinical condition."
โ
So, like I said earlier, being diagnosed with any of these issues does NOT mean you're doomed to a life of pain and misery
