Where It is, It Ain’t: How the Point of Pain is Never the Source of Pain
“The point of pain is usually never the source.”
On my first journey to California searching for stretching guidance, research, and knowledge, my stretch workshop instructor said this to us as he began his session.
“That is crazy,” I thought.
So, if your back hurts, it’s not your back?
How could that be?
He began to explain how everything in our body is connected.
Right side to left and front side to back, etc.
“Until we find the source of pain, we can’t relieve the point of pain,” he said.
At the time, it made no sense to me. But now that I have been working in the stretching world for 5 years, I can promise you that he was 100% right!
Let’s take low back pain as an example.
If your low back hurts, you think to rub it, massage it, stretch it, use heat or ice on it, etc.
You may even purchase a new mattress or go to the chiropractor for an adjustment or get a massage.
All of these things can help, but only temporarily.
A new mattress can give you some support and help the pain, but it doesn’t address the “source” of the pain. Where is it actually coming from?
You can go to the chiropractor for an adjustment, but if your muscles are super tight, the adjustment won’t hold. The tight muscles will pull the spine right back where it started before adjustment.
Do you get where I am going?
These are all just bandaids for the pain in our low back and do not address the source.
Where is low back pain coming from then, you ask?
I am so happy to tell you because it will change your life and greatly increase the quality of it!
You see, our quads are the most overly-contracted muscle group in our body. They are connected to the hip flexors which are connected to the Psoas muscles that are connected to the lumbar spine (low back).
Remember that tight muscle tissue shortens.
Here’s how it goes:
Quads are tight and they shorten…
Quads pull down on already tight hip flexors…
Hip flexors pull down on Psoas muscles which are connected to the lumbar spine…
Which causes low back pain!
So, the pain is on the back side, but coming from the front side!
Quads are the “source” and low back is the “point.”
Make sense now?
Where it is… it ain’t.
This is why stretching is so important to find the source in order to relieve the pain of tight muscles in our body.
When we stretch our entire body, as we do in my classes and private sessions, we discover what is going on deep down under the skin. I like to think of it like searching for gold in a stream. When we find tender spots, we have “struck gold.”
I get so excited when my students moan and groan or when I see their eyes roll back in their head with shock and discomfort when they find tight muscle tissue that they didn’t know they had.
You might think I am crazy to say that, but my job as a stretch therapist is to assist my students to find “gold” (tight muscle tissue) in their bodies. If we don’t know where tight muscle tissue is we can’t address it, give it attention, work it out, lengthen it, stretch it! We can’t get it before it gets us.
It will get us eventually if we don’t find it first! I promise you!
Our muscles tighten from daily use, from exercise, years of youth sports and activity, etc. We are where we have been. Our muscles will not lengthen on their own. We have to help them out. If we don’t, they will only get tighter and tighter and will bind our bodies to them. We will get STUCK.
This is why I get so excited when my students find it and strike gold. They are now on the path to freeing and healing their bodies and keeping it from getting STUCK by giving their tight muscles attention.
Just remember:
Where it is… it ain’t!
Meaning that tight muscle tissue is always connected to other parts of our body. So, when we free one part, it relieves other parts.
Also, very important to know, stretching doesn’t only lengthen muscles, unlock and free our joints, but enhances the function of our organ system as well.
This is why STRETCHING is vital to freeing our bodies from ACHES & PAINS and allows our entire body to function on a higher level and increases the overall quality of our life.
Bottom Line:
Stretching our body gives us information about what is going on deep inside under the skin that we can’t see and maybe can’t feel until we find it. It enhances our body’s overall wellbeing and keeps us active and mobile. It is truly worth the time investment to dig in and find your “gold.”
Stretch of the Day:
Roll Your Quads:
This roller stretch elongates tight muscle tissue in your quads. This stretch is truly life-changing! I’ve had students whose hip or feet issues cleared up after they began rolling out their quads every day.
1. Lay in elbow plank position with your roller placed beneath your quads.
2. Roll your body forward and backward using your elbows as a hinge, let the roller go all the way from the hip down to the top of the knee (but not over the knee).
3. Roll for 15 - 20 seconds.
If your quads are tight, this will be extremely uncomfortable at first, but it will get easier over time. Stick with it! The life changing benefits of rolling your quads are too many to list here. Trust me! Roll them and roll them and then roll them some more.
These are a Few of My Favorite Things:
My Roller
I have to say that my roller is my friend! It wasn’t at first. But it changed my life and is the reason that I decided to make stretching others my career. I wanted to share my experience and show others the life changing benefits. It keeps me able to move freely without pain or restriction of movement and able to teach my 10-15 classes each week… and I am no “spring chicken.” I also sleep much better since I started rolling!
You can purchase your own roller here on my website, from Target or sports stores, or from Amazon.
Quote to Ponder:
“If you listen to your body when it whispers… You won’t have to hear it scream.”
— Unknown
