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I have pain, but my X-ray is normal. Is it all in my head?

February 21, 2017

By Dr. Trip DelCampo

Well yes, and no. Technically all pain is felt in your brain. Pain signals travel along nerves from the body, and the brain makes its best guess as to where the pain is located. The brain is very good at this when it comes to pain from the surface of the skin, but the brain can make mistakes when processing pain signals from internal structures like joints, muscles, and organs.  Famous examples of the brain’s miscues include phantom limb pain in amputees, and arm pain during a heart attack. During a heart attack, there is nothing happening in the left arm that would warrant pain, but because of the way we are wired, the brain interprets the pain as coming from the arm.

So in regards to your X-ray, normal findings on X-rays do not necessarily mean a lack of symptoms. It is also true that significant findings on X-rays and MRI’s, i.e. degeneration, do not directly correlate with pain. For example, for those individuals with no low back pain, 37% of 20 year olds and 96% of 80 year olds have some disk degeneration. These are people without pain, yet they still have degeneration. The opposite is true. There are plenty of people with no findings on X-rays that have pain. Well what is causing the pain?

X-rays normally only visualize bones. Yes, chest X-rays can visualize some soft tissue like lungs, etc., but most X-rays are looking at the structure and integrity of bone. Bones and joints are not the only source of pain.  Muscles, ligaments, cartilage and vertebral discs can all cause pain, but they can’t be seen on an X-ray.  When pain occurs with no findings on an X-ray, it is likely coming from one, or more, of these tissues. To find out the source of your pain, the underlying cause and how to fix it, as well as how to keep it from coming back, call First State Health & Wellness for a consultation today! For an appointment at our Rehoboth Beach location, call (302) 645-6681.

Dr. Trip DelCampo is a Chiropractic Physician at First State Health & Wellness—Rehoboth.

First State Health & Wellness has been providing award-winning integrative healthcare and education for over 30 years. Services among 6 offices across Delaware include Chiropractic, Acupuncture/Cupping, Whole-Body Cryotherapy, Massage, Functional Health, Spinal Decompression, Laser Therapy and Rehabilitation. Our chiropractors provide all-natural, non-surgical, drug-free options for pain relief, healing and health maintenance.

 

 

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