The Biggest Myth I See Almost Daily...That Needs To Go Away!

 I've been seeing patients since 2002 and I still find it funny every time someone refers to this imaginary concept, as if it was an accepted truth that everyone obviously knows...even some PHD level patients believe it.

"If I don't feel pain, then I don't have a problem." or some version of this is not only FALSE, but believing this way can actually be dangerous.

Look, I enjoy a healthy dose a healthy dose of denial, just like the next guy. But if I'm being real here, tooth decay is pretty hard to "feel" that's because you can't...its painless...until its a cavity...which then hurts a ton. On the serious side, often times the only symptoms preceding a heart attack are NO symptoms at all.

In the clinic, the version that I see daily is when some patients are in a car crash or even a small fender bender and a few weeks later they are mentioning a list of "random" symptoms they're having. Upon further digging, they mention the accident, usually followed by "I wasn't injured though, I felt just fine afterward."

 The accident seemed minor and we may walk away without pain, so the thought is "I'm not injured." And sometimes this may be true...but SO often it's not. Ligaments are the "Saran Wrap" that holds our neck together...and they don't have nerves connected to them. When we get little tears in them we don't feel that.

 Over the next few days and weeks, we move our neck around with less support and predictably (not randomly) we get increased headaches, stiff muscles, limited range of motion, shooting pains in the arms, and so on.

When these auto injuries exist, the longer we delay treatment the more chronic and permanent the problem becomes. BUT, auto accident ligament injuries are quick and easy to identify on an X-ray...they are clearly there or not at all... if we catch them early and start treatment they heal up much faster and without long term impact.

So, the moral is: Go to the dentist! Get your heart screened every once in awhile! And please get evaluated if you've been in an recent auto accident...even if you don't have pain.

I offer a free zero obligation Auto Injury Consult to at least screen for injuries. If you're injured, I can help you and I'll walk you through your options without pressure or agenda. If you're not injured, I'll give you a high five and you can enjoy some peace of mind...for free!

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