Is Your Pain a Message?

Understanding Chronic Pain: Where It Comes From and How Functional Health Testing Can Help

Chronic pain is one of the most misunderstood and widespread health challenges, affecting approximately 1 in 5 adults globally (Goldberg & McGee, 2011). Unlike acute pain, which signals injury or illness and typically resolves as healing occurs, chronic pain persists for weeks, months, or even years—often without an obvious cause. Understanding where chronic pain originates and how modern health assessments can help uncover hidden issues is vital to managing and potentially alleviating it.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is defined as pain lasting longer than 3 to 6 months. It can be constant or intermittent and can occur anywhere in the body. Unlike pain that results from an acute injury, chronic pain often continues even after the injury or cause has healed, or in some cases, when no clear cause is present.

Common forms of chronic pain include:

• Low back pain

• Migraines and headaches

• Neuropathic pain (nerve damage)

• Fibromyalgia

• Arthritis-related pain

• Pelvic pain

• Chronic fatigue syndrome-related discomfort

Where Chronic Pain Might Come From

There are several potential sources of chronic pain, and identifying the root cause is often complex. These include:

1. Structural or Mechanical Issues

Misalignments in the spine, poor posture, repetitive motion, or past injuries can lead to musculoskeletal pain. Conditions like herniated discs or joint degeneration are common culprits.

2. Inflammation and Autoimmune Conditions

Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and inflammatory bowel disease can cause widespread pain through systemic inflammation.

3. Neurological Imbalances

Chronic pain often has a neurological basis, especially in conditions like fibromyalgia or neuropathy, where the nervous system processes pain signals abnormally.

4. Gut Health and Inflammation

Emerging research highlights the gut-brain axis—a bidirectional communication network between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. Dysbiosis (imbalance in gut microbiota) can contribute to inflammation and pain syndromes (Cryan et al., 2019).

5. Psychological and Emotional Health

Stress, trauma, anxiety, and depression can amplify pain perception. The biopsychosocial model of pain recognizes the interplay of emotional, cognitive, and physical factors.

How Functional Testing Can Help

Functional medicine takes a root-cause approach to chronic conditions, including pain. Instead of masking symptoms, it focuses on identifying dysfunctions through comprehensive testing and personalized interventions.

1. Hormone Panels

Imbalances in cortisol (the stress hormone), estrogen, testosterone, or thyroid hormones can all influence pain perception and inflammatory responses.

2. Inflammatory Markers

Tests for C-reactive protein (CRP), ESR, and cytokines help assess systemic inflammation, a key driver of chronic pain.

3. Nutrient and Micronutrient Testing

Deficiencies in magnesium, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and B vitamins are associated with increased pain sensitivity and poor tissue repair (Yazdi et al., 2021).

4. Gut Health Assessments

Stool tests and breath tests can uncover imbalances in gut flora, leaky gut syndrome, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), all of which may contribute to pain through systemic inflammation.

5. MRT Testing

Some chronic pain sufferers may have sensitivities to foods that trigger inflammation, particularly gluten, dairy, and processed sugars.

The Role of Lifestyle in Pain Management

In addition to functional testing, addressing lifestyle factors is crucial. Regular movement, anti-inflammatory diets, quality sleep, and stress reduction techniques like mindfulness and therapy are proven to reduce pain severity and improve quality of life (Geneen et al., 2017).

Conclusion

Chronic pain is a multifaceted condition that often stems from more than just physical injury. Functional testing offers a valuable window into hidden imbalances in the body—hormonal, neurological, nutritional, and inflammatory—that may be driving the pain. By addressing these root causes through personalized strategies, many people find lasting relief and improved well-being.

References

• Goldberg, D. S., & McGee, S. J. (2011). Pain as a global public health priority. BMC Public Health, 11(1), 770. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-770

• Cryan, J. F., et al. (2019). The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis. Physiological Reviews, 99(4), 1877–2013. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00018.2018

• Yazdi, S., et al. (2021). Nutritional Interventions in Chronic Pain Management: A Review. Nutrients, 13(8), 2710. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082710

• Geneen, L. J., et al. (2017). Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011279.pub2