Chronic Pain – Some Days You Deserve a Medal Just for Showing Up

Too few people understand. Why don’t you work out? Why don’t you lose the weight? Why don’t you try harder?

Too few people understand what it takes.

What it takes when sitting hurts, standing hurts, moving hurts, and even lying down hurts. When you wake up feeling worse than the night before.

Too few people understand that you can’t push through it. The strength and ability aren’t there, or if you can push through, you pay for it, hard.

They can’t understand. They haven’t felt it.

I have.

I know, sometimes the effort you put forth just to go about your day is phenomenal.

And whether we’re talking about headaches, back pain or neck pain, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, endometriosis, frozen shoulders, carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ Disorder, etc, etc, it all sucks. Chronic pain makes life tough and discouraging and the people around you don’t get it.

But let’s not allow that to be the end of the story.

There’s one thing in common with all chronic pain issues, one thing that traditional therapy and even most alternative therapies have missed. Chronic pain needs myofascial release.

Chronic Pain Needs Myofascial Release

Let me tell you a bit about your fascia (fash-uh), also called connective tissue. It’s the basic building block of all of your body. What’s that? What about cells, you ask? Yes, cells do the work, but fascia creates the structure and shape they live in. It’s wonderfully adaptable stuff. It’s the scaffolding of your tissues, and it responds to the changing needs and tensions of your body. (For those interested, see this video excerpt or the full video.)

Fascia is also your shock absorption system, along with muscles and bones. Fascia absorbs and spreads the impact of any forceful, violent event that happens to your body, including surgery (cutting is injury, after all). As it does this, it can get over-stressed and become dehydrated, glued, and stuck.

Think back a moment on your life. Remember all the bumps and bruises, the jolts and whacks, the falls and twists, and certainly the big events, the car accidents, sprains, breaks, and surgeries. All of these lead to fascia being less pliable and more glued. Scar tissue. Adhesions. Now imagine this is happening throughout your body, a little here, some more there, and a big section right there. Try moving with all that stuck tissue, especially if it’s glueing a joint, or a vertebra in your spine, or putting crushing pressure on a disc or pulling on a nerve. Or creating lots of little jolts in lots of little places. Or…

You see why it could be so hard? Why the advice everyone gives you just doesn’t seem to work for you? Let’s get rid of one really stupid, bad, never-should-have-been-thought idea right now. You’re not lazy. You’re not weak-willed. You’re not a slacker and you certainly don’t deserve to be in pain. (For those of you whom this hasn’t been the message, yes, some people hear this. Some internalize it. This has got to stop.) You have been dealing with a body with its tissues stuck, pulled, and twisted in various ways unique to you, causing pain, dysfunction, and weakness. And you’re still going. You deserve that medal.

Now, long-overdue recognition aside, here’s the good news. That stuck, immobilized fascia can be unstuck and restored to fluid movement. We can get the pressure off the joints, discs, nerves, blood vessels, and organs. We can get the muscles and other tissues moving right. We can do it without surgery or medication. We can get you back to feeling good in your body again. And if you’ve never felt good in your body? Well then I’d truly be honored to help.

I’m not saying it’s easy, or quick. Sometimes it is quick and easy, sometimes it’s long and hard. But it’s doable. Would getting out of chronic pain be worth it? Would feeling good in your body be worth it to you?

Are you willing to show up?

I want very much to hear from you.

Inquire About Cost & Availability of Myofascial Release »


Michael Sudbury LMT

2 thoughts on “Chronic Pain – Some Days You Deserve a Medal Just for Showing Up

  1. Lightning strikes my every cell,
    Fire comes from every pour,
    My stomach knots; my muscles seize,
    I swear I will fall to darkness and disease.

    Sleep is intruded by jumping pains,
    Thoughts are impeded by blows to the brain.
    Light is too bright; Heat is too hot.
    My body might as well wrinkle and rot.

    I can not stand on my own two feet,
    Nor can I rest with this fast heart beat .
    Pills are the only way I stay aligned,
    To numb this feeling they say’s in my mind.

    From the bottoms of my feet to the top of my head,
    I think I would rather be dead.
    It could be easier; there would be no ache.
    It would all stop; I wouldn’t have to fake…
    That smile I give to all around,
    When pricks of pain is my only sound.  

    Pretending everything is fine,
    when really I think that I am dying.
    There could be no happiness in this,
    except things that somehow bring bliss.

    Wondrous sounds, beautiful sights,
    the taste of summer, and other delights.
    Family and friends, those whom I love,
    Allow me to smile, they give me a shove.

    In this dark time, down this steep slope,
    I am pushed towards the light of hope.
    I won’t be discouraged, I can get by.
    Although I suffer, I’ll give life a try.

    1. Thank you for your contribution. 🙂 It sounds like you have experience with trying times. “Give life a try.” Indeed, what else can one do? Life is pain and beauty, together.

Comments are closed.

Scroll Up
Share This