06/17/2025
" Everything Hurts"
Well lets get to work!
I had a client recently, that couldn't pinpoint the exact cause of their pain, just that "Everything Hurts"
So we got them on the table and got to work. Immediately,@ I could tell that every muscle in their back neck and shoulders was engaged and hypertense. No amount of pressure or trigger point therapy was even coming close to affecting change. This client was like solid stone. Half way through our session I knew that I had to switch tactics.
I raised the table, turned up the spa music and applied a much more gentle pressure with a slower glide. I moved along with their breath for several minutes and felt a sudden jolt as their muscles finally opened and relaxed. They let out an audible gasp of relief, ( mentally I did too)
Without getting into the anatomy or the science of what happened, I'll get to my main point of this post.
Stress is painful!!! It hurts and prevents the body from working properly.
This client had spent so much time under constant stress that their muscle patterns contracted to cope and stayed in a "locked on" loop
It turns out that our bodies cant differentiate between the stress of day-to-day life, and being attacked by a preditor or enemy. So our muscles lock up in preparation to fight or flight and stay that way if under constant "atack"
They had become so used to their stress, that muscles were pulling on bone and tendon and ligament causing all of their pain problems. It was only after I was able to adapt my approach and coak them into a relaxed state, that they were finally able to let go of some of that stress enough for their muscles to open up and let go of some of their tension.
Life is stressful, life is alot and that can cause serious pain without an abvious cause.
I am proud to say that after three sessions my client has not had to deal with their pain patterns.
They are working hard outside of our sessions to identify their stressors and understand their own stress management.
With luck, skill and consistency i can honestly hope to never hear my client have to say "Everything Hurts" ever again.
