Have you ever wondered why sometimes you can do dramatic things and have no lasting pain? At other times seemingly small incidents gradually build, sometimes spread and can cause more pain or stiffness than you would expect. This presentation is remarkably common.

One explanation for this is the Accumulative Strain Theory. This is where over time we have minor strains that the body ‘knows about’ but because they are relatively minor they sit at a subclinical level. At this point the brain is not alerted to pain. When the body receives another strain, this will accumulate on top of the original strain. When the total strains reach a certain tipping point, the brain is then alerted and registers pain beyond the level you would expect. The location of this pain sensation may or may not be directly related to the site of strain.  This can explain why some pains are eased but not fully resolved with local treatments.

At Burns Bay Physiotherapy we understand pain, we use a systematic whole-body assessment to efficiently find and fix the cause of your pain and teach you how to stay pain free for the long term.

Written by Burns Bay Physiotherapy. Published in “The Village Observer,” April, 2018.