Wrinkles on the Inside
The advancement of diagnostic imaging and medical technology such as X-rays, MRIs and CT scans has given the medical community incredible visibility to what may or may not be happening deep under the skin. The advancement in technology provides healthcare professionals with a detailed view of the internal anatomy.
However, these improvements in the ability to view the inner world of your muscles, bones, joints and other tissues hasn’t come without consequence. In the quest to see more detail within the body, researchers have unintentionally gone too far. In the process of advancement, healthcare professionals have fallen into a pattern of labelling normal tissue changes as problematic or unhealthy.
However, these improvements in the ability to view the inner world of your muscles, bones, joints and other tissues hasn’t come without consequence. In the quest to see more detail within the body, researchers have unintentionally gone too far. In the process of advancement, healthcare professionals have fallen into a pattern of labelling normal tissue changes as problematic or unhealthy.
Imagine for a moment seeing your grandmother or grandfather. Think about their distinguished, worn and wrinkled faces. Think about the depth of the wrinkles on their forehead as they raise their eyebrows in excitement. Picture the sharp creases of their laugh lines when they smile. The wrinkles are a warm and inviting feature of their face. During this natural aging process, your grandparents likely never complained of face pain from the wrinkles and lines. These changes to their body occurred slowly and naturally over time through the act of living a long life.
"These changes to their body occurred slowly and naturally over time through the act of living a long life."
It’s logical to assume that the age-related changes seen on the outside are also slowly occurring on the inside. Wrinkles and gray hairs are recognized as part of getting older. Yet, with the newfound capability to see the inside of the body with great detail, clinicians have been quick to label any variation as abnormal. While improvements in imaging have expanded, so has the research on pain. This new research has quite impressively demonstrated that imaging often reveals structural changes to discs, joint surfaces, muscles, cartilage and tendons, and that there is little to no correlation between these findings and someone’s pain.
It’s both freeing and empowering to know the truth about these internal kisses of time. While they may be scary to look at, they’re simply your wrinkles on the inside.
* Adapted from Dr. Tim Flynn, PT, PhD
It’s both freeing and empowering to know the truth about these internal kisses of time. While they may be scary to look at, they’re simply your wrinkles on the inside.
* Adapted from Dr. Tim Flynn, PT, PhD
