Something Blocks You to Be Pain-Free!

Being pain-free can be challenging for most patients.

When we suffer from chronic pain, it often becomes difficult to adapt to daily life. Simple things such as walking, getting up from your chair, or continuing your usual routine can feel overwhelming. And when it comes to physical activity, these limitations may become even more frustrating.

No matter what problem you are facing, there are common points across most joint-related conditions—and these are worth addressing.

A Full Range of Motion

Whatever joint pain you may have, if you do not restore a normal range of motion, you cannot be pain-free during functional activities.

When I say functional activity, it can mean anything: from doing housework, to exercising, or even performing high-intensity sports.

The loss of joint range of motion can have many different origins:

1. Fear of Movement

Patients often fear worsening their condition, so they reduce or avoid movement. This leads to stiffness, and the joint becomes more sensitive in ranges of motion that are never explored during daily life.

• Example: avoiding turning the head fully to one side.

• Example: not lifting the shoulder all the way up to avoid pain.

Both are mistakes that only reinforce the limitation.

2. Trauma and Acute Phases

After an injury, patients may become overprotective, and this prevents them from regaining their full range of motion.

• Example: a meniscal injury in the knee leading to reduced extension, which then causes symptoms during physical activity.

3. Osteoarthritis

This type of limitation is different—it is linked to degeneration inside the joint, particularly of the cartilage. For instance, with hip osteoarthritis, we often see a loss of internal rotation.

Improving this internal rotation can allow patients to return to more advanced functional activities:

• Sitting comfortably

• Climbing stairs

• Squatting

Muscular Weakness

Some conditions are directly linked to muscular weakness.

For example, in Achilles tendon issues, we often observe microscopic degenerations within the tendon. This is a normal aging process, but it reduces the tendon’s ability to handle load. The key is to specifically rebuild the strength of the joint and surrounding muscles in order to recover.

Another common example is the rotator cuff, which is particularly prevalent among women after the age of 40. In these cases, there is often weakness in the muscles responsible for external and internal rotation of the shoulder. Increasing muscular strength here can significantly reduce pain levels and improve function.⸻

Flexibility

Flexibility is a special case. Many patients believe that reduced muscle length is the primary cause of mobility loss. This can happen after immobilization, such as wearing a cast, but in reality, flexibility is largely regulated by the nervous system.

Your brain creates a “protective barrier” to stop you from moving further, even when the tissues themselves are capable of more. This is why some people experience reduced mobility that seems like a shortening of the muscles, but in fact, it is more about retraining the connection between flexibility and brain response.

In fact, if you were under complete anesthesia, every joint in your body could be moved through its full range of motion without restriction. Surprising, but scientifically true.

Conclusion

Whether it is range of motion, muscular weakness, or flexibility, these clinical patterns are present across nearly all joint conditions. Understanding and addressing them is key to recovery.

With the right education and targeted rehabilitation, patients can return to a normal life—whether that means daily activities or higher-level physical performance.

👉 Don’t hesitate to contact me for questions, to book a session, and to work together toward our common goal: Being Pain-Free.