Create Your Healing Experience

Is this office the right fit for you? Watch the New Member Orientation Video: CLICK HERE It is required before your first visit.

HOME...What Patients Say. ......Give Up This Old Belief.......Translate Pain/Anxiety Correctly

Saturday, August 20, 2022

Wear and Tear * Bogus Cop Out

 Image Courtesy: https://www.turbotenant.com/blog/normal-wear-and-tear/   But remember, you are not a house!


Allow me to gripe some more.  Hopefully it is educational and constructive.

Wear and Tear

In chiropractic school this term was spoken so much.  Too much.  We had a class called NMS something or other.  I think it was neuro-musculo-skeletal pathology.  Everything was caused by wear and tear, or micro-trauma, or repetitive strain. 

Ugh......please no more. 

How were we supposed to help people get better?

1- Chiropractic adjustments

2- Prescriptive exercise

3- Nutrition (for inflammation and tissue integrity)

And we just chalked it up to too much wear and tear.  

Not very empowering.  Just come back if you injure yourself again with repetitive strain, or more micro-trauma.  Please incorporate these life style suggestions if you'd like to be more productive and energetic.  And, please figure out a way to make your job not kill you.  (Yes, I'm serious.  People put their work above their health and family......)

As students we went into detail about the biochemical changes of injury and how the macrophages come in to clean out the area to help heal the muscles and joint structures. Etc. Etc.  Blah, blah, blah.

Funny thing is, we learned that immobilization is the worst thing for a person's joint health. And we can teach that to our practice members.  Movement keeps the joints hydrated. I much prefer the phrase, use it or lose it. (Neuro-plasticity..... another topic for another blog posting.)

We also teach them that pain medications destroy cartilage and other soft tissues.  Why add fuel to the fire?

Just like bone on bone, wear and tear is some kind of terminology that gets you off the hook.  It's too late.  The damage is done.  It's irreversible.  In fact, I typed wear and tear in google for medical terms and it is called normal wear and tear. 

I found some medical articles using wear and tear arthritis. A medical dictionary ascribes wear and tear to dental changes in the teeth, caused by bruxism (teeth grinding).  

Microtrauma is a microscopic injury to muscles, bones, soft tissues.  I suppose if you wait long enough, it becomes macro-trauma, something you can see and feel.  

"Wear and tear" seems to have taken on a life of its own. 

Mostly I don't like the fact that it sets the stage for a depressing outlook.  We can take wear and tear to a whole new level of despair and demoralization.  We can now call it stenosis.  Now you're in for a real treat because surgeons salivate over your X-rays and reserve the surgical suite for you. 

Here's the thing: arthritis was not a big deal when I first started in practice.  People knew they needed to take care of their joints.  They knew they needed to move more. But they were not overwhelmed.

Now 22 years later, and I know I am not delusional, arthritis has taken on a new personality.  People are hyper-upset, very fearful, often depressed, and the word "aging," tags along. 

It has gotten to the point where I feel I am not successfully explaining to my folks that it's not the end game.  They have so much potential to be more functional, but the mind is blocked. 

Something has happened in a couple of decades where I now see people with the most helpless attitudes.  Learned helplessness!

Another thing I've noticed: When I first opened up my practice, most people said, "I hate taking medicine." And they were not taking medicine.   Now people say, "I hate taking medicine," and they produce a long list of prescribed drugs-- that they take.

So, people in the past stood by their comment that they did not want to take anything.  They really meant it.  Now, people begrudgingly swallow synthetic pills on a daily basis and accept it.  

Is it because I see so much more obesity and diabetes?  People come to me with joint pain, yet it's just the tip of the iceberg. *** Their joints are a reflection of the rest of their body.  There's so much anxiety, fatigue, high blood pressure, and "auto-immune" disease attached to the "wear and tear," of their bones.  

It's time to end my griping with a positive outlook. 

We are meant to be moving.  If you are convinced you are a victim of wear and tear, you are not moving enough.  

Also, your joints do respond to fight or flight stress, even mental stress.  When your body goes into survival mode, your spine compresses.  It's a physiological response dictated by the brain to move you out of perceived danger. 

Here's the caveat.  You're supposed to get out of fight or flight quickly and resume tissue rebuilding.  If that doesn't happen, your tissues will be prone to injury from doing simple everyday activities.  And, if your nutrition is lacking, your new tissues are made out of junk! 

What feels like wear and tear to you, is to me, poor replenishment.  This is the direction we need to take. 

Wear and tear is a cop out phrase.  It's equivalent to,"I give up."  But you don't have to feel stuck.  

I found a good article written by Thomas Wells that explains why movement is so crucial.  He also bemoans the slang of wear and tear. He used the term "bone on bone," but I'll let that go.  

When I meet people who want to improve their functionality, I go to the brain first.  If you are in a high stress situation, we have to modulate the nervous system so you can actually resume the rebuilding phase of the nervous system stages.  Some people may not be aware of the ultra-high stress they are dealing with.  The body will not rebuild when it is in a hyped up state of survival mode. The body gives us hints so we can learn from it and make the necessary changes. 

Your nervous system is unique to you.  Your past exposures to stress, along with the emotional decorations you lace it with determines how quickly or slowly you revert to the energetic state of rebuilding.  There is no one-size fits all answer. This is a self exploratory / self growth approach woven into your chiropractic care. 

Let's move beyond the vocabulary that doesn't serve you and dive into the empowering approach of brain-based chiropractic.

*** Please remember, chiropractic is not a treatment for joint pain.  Chiropractic allows the brain to shift gears back to homeostasis and rebuilding.  I know people typically focus on joint pain, and I teach them to look at the bigger picture from the brain's point of view regarding healing priority.  

Brain First *Is* Body Freedom


--Dr. Lisa

Your Health Freedom Coach

Liberating Your Nervous System from Unacceptable Ideas (like aging)

Expand Your Talents Beyond Your Comfort Zone.


Thursday, August 18, 2022

The Myth of Bone on Bone

 The Myth of Bone on Bone

(And why your brain is still in charge)



** Irresponsible for doctors to say: “bone on bone”

** Doctor in Missouri took over 1,000 knee x-rays.

** Only 1 had true bone on bone (less than 00.1%).

** In a study of 100 pain free people who had a spinal MRI – half had bulging discs but were fine.

** Degenerative change is not a predictor of pain.

** Location of pain is not always the cause of pain.

** Spine Surgeon, David Hanscom says changing your brain is more important. Surgery is often a failure.


The brain sets priority.

Follow the Brain First Protocol.

Brain First is Body Freedom.

I've keeping track of terminology we need to drop, or redefine.  It's time to get rid of "bone on bone."  It's mentally destructive, and not to mention not true.  People who believe bone on bone, give up.  They stop enjoying life.  Sadly, people with this mind set are not easy to work with.  Their nervous system's are stuck in a chronic cycle of energy depletion. 

We know your Xray or MRI does not predict pain.  It does not explain pain.  You can read about the 1,000 Xrays from Core Medical Center's website.  Just google the myth of bone on bone. 

The MRI study demonstrates this concept as well.  I don't have that study at my fingertips right now, but it was done more than 10, possibly 20 years ago.  

I've seen many so called "bad" MRIs but that doesn't mean you have to give up being active.  If you are not feeling well, or moving well, there is an approach to work through these challenges.  It all depends on how well you move your brain, feed your brain, and talk to your brain.  Does this sound familiar?  It may take some real work that you haven't tried before.  It will take patience. 

And by the way.  When it comes to describing health or symptoms, it's  not bad, it's not good, it just is.  And I say this because this annoying evaluation as if you are getting another report card in school is not productive at all.  

Your body is just doing what it innately needs to do for the situation.  If you pile on some emotionally label that just triggers your nervous system to go into fight or flight, you are just digging yourself a deeper, depressing hole. 

I've mentioned David Hanscom in previous blogs, or videos.  When he says anxiety and anger is a pain generator, it's time to pursue that avenue.  

When folks tell me they slept wrong, or did too much movement pulling weeds in the garden, I know we have a lot more to peel away in understanding the situation. 

The second you become aware of a pain and blame it on something you've done recently to cause an injury, your brain goes into self critical mode.  It is natural to feel a little anxious.  It comes out like this: 

    How am I going to get through my next task of _________?

You can fill in the blank.  It could be work related, family related, a long trip, You are on a time deadline, you're trying to repair your house.  As soon as you question your ability especially your future functioning, your body kicks in a rebuilding response that feels as if your body is revolting or trying to get revenge. 

When your confidence takes a hit, this is a very important time to stay upbeat and understand the body is doing something very natural.  It is reinforcing itself to make you stronger.  

It will need your cooperation.  It needs a calm mind.  It needs rest.  It needs quality raw materials.  It needs time to detox the old cells of inflammation (what we call the construction crew).  

When you learn how to best move your brain, feed your brain, and talk to your brain, you will be an effective partner with your brain. 

Let's dive in.  Dare to Thrive.

Read More:Everything the body does is correct for the situation.  Understand what is really going on without fear and old wives' tales (medical jargon that no longer serves you).


Brain First *Is* Body Freedom


--Dr. Lisa

Your Health Freedom Coach

Liberating Your Nervous System from Unacceptable Ideas (like aging)

Expand Your Talents Beyond Your Comfort Zone.