You have pain and you want to know the cause. You go to a specialist as instructed. You may go to an orthopedist, neurologist, rheumatologist, pain management physician (anesthesiologist), chiropractor, physical therapist, podiatrist, physiatrist, etc. Each has a very specialized view as to what the cause of pain could be. But what is the actual cause, namely the tissue eliciting the pain is not something that falls into that practitioners specialty? How do they identify this as a cause? If you have been educated and have only practiced thinking that the only fruit that exists in the world is an apple then what would happen if a person wanted and needed an orange? You wouldn’t have a clue what to do because your entire body of history has not prepared you to even know that an orange exists! This is your medical system. This is just how insane the system is that you have to have faith in. You may think that this analogy is outrageous but is a true presentation of how things work.
I would like to find the one neurologist who is in a position to identify bone or muscle as the cause of pain. They will always tell you it is a nerve or some aspect of the neurological system because that is all they have. An orthopedist will always tell you the problem is a structure, never nerve or muscle. How could they possibly identify these as the cause of pain when they have absolutely no education or background in identifying these as causes. The rheumatologist is trained to think in almost all cases the cause is arthritis. The idea of a muscle/tendon complex shortening pulling joint surfaces of the joints of the fingers together too tightly leading to excessive compression and pain is not something that could ever be considered because it was never part of what makes them a rheumatologist.
Most chiropractors will tell you pain is from the spine and requires treatment to occur on the neurological system. A podiatrist will always tell you the cause of foot pain is coming from the foot. The idea of the foot being the final aspect of the body that connects to the ground and therefore some altered force from a higher part of the body leading to excessive force in the foot creating pain there is outside of the scope of understanding for this profession because this idea is not taught as part of their education nor is there any opportunity to apply this type of information in their practice. The fact is you can go on and on looking at every specialty and you will come up with the same conclusion; the idea of being able to identify all potential causes of pain is an impossibility for any specialist.
The most significant issue regarding the existing model is the fact that most of these specialities depend on diagnostic tests like MRIs and x-rays to identify the cause of pain. The most significant fact about these tests is not what they can find but what they can’t find. Muscle strain, weakness, imbalance, flexibility deficit, spasm; none of these types of muscular causes can show up. Just realize that The American College of Physicians recommended that MRIs no longer be used to identify the cause of lower back pain because in 85% of cases the cause could not be attributed to a spinal abnormality like a herniated disc or stenosis. I believe the number is closer to 90%. This means that in 90% of people getting a positive finding of a herniated disc, stenosis, arthritis or a mensical tear, the wrong tissue has been identified as the cause of pain and all future treatments will have no ability to resolve the cause because they are addressing the wrong tissue. 90% of people are being misdiagnosed. An invalid diagnostic test combined with a specialist incapable of identifying all potential causes or tissues eliciting pain and you have the makings of a disaster or accurately THE EXISTING MEDICAL MODEL FOR DIAGNOSING AND TREATING PAIN.
When you have come back to reality after realizing that you are not crazy and that the system is basically set up to failure with you as the unfortunate who suffers the unending, debilitating chronic pain, take solace in knowing that there is a method that actually can identify all potential causes of pain. This method would prefer to see the use of the MRI abolished just as the American College of Physician has stated as the primary method for diagnosing the cause of pain. This method utilizes the body’s presentation of symptoms along with simple physical tests to determine which tissue is creating the symptoms being experienced. It recognizes that in more than 90% of cases the cause is muscular. It has an understanding of how to resolve these causes and return people back to full functional capacity. This method is called the Yass method and should replace the existing model as the standard of care for diagnosing and treating pain.
You will have to change the system. The system will never change for you. Find and use the Yass method. Share this post with a loved one and save a life.