Why Things Hurt: Pain Is More Complex (and More Human) Than You Might Think

Curving path through coastal temperate rainforest.

People usually come to see me for one reason:

Something hurts.

Early in my career, I figured that if I was going to spend my days helping people navigate pain, I should probably develop a strong understanding of it.

That decision sent me down a fascinating rabbit hole.

Because pain is surprisingly complex.

When I first entered practice, I thought my clinical focus would revolve primarily around sports injuries, orthopaedics, and mechanical problems of muscles and joints. And certainly, those things matter.

But working with people living with persistent pain, migraines, TMJ disorders, nerve symptoms, chronic illness, movement intolerance, and “nothing seems to be helping anymore” situations gradually changed how I understood pain, and healthcare more broadly.

The neuroscience of pain is fascinating.

The lived experience of pain is deeply human.

And the more we study pain, the clearer it becomes that pain is not always simple, predictable, or explained entirely by tissue injury alone.

So… what is pain?

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) currently defines pain as:

“An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.”

That definition is worth slowing down for a moment.

Because pain is not simply a direct measurement of tissue damage.

Pain is a personal experience.

Real.

Protective.

And influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.

This is where pain science sometimes gets misunderstood.

You may have heard phrases like:

"Pain is all in the brain."

Unfortunately, that wording can sound dismissive or invalidating.

That is not what modern pain science is saying.

Pain is real.

Your experience matters.

But our nervous systems do far more than simply measure damaged tissues and report back.

They constantly gather information about our bodies and environment.

Injury matters.

Inflammation matters.

Health conditions matter.

But so can sleep disruption, illness, stress, overload, previous experiences, nervous system sensitivity, beliefs, context, hormones, and many other wonderfully human variables.

Sometimes pain closely reflects tissue injury.

Sometimes pain persists long after tissue healing.

Sometimes relatively minor injuries hurt tremendously.

Sometimes major injuries produce surprisingly little pain.

Human beings are complex organisms.

Our pain experiences reflect that complexity.

Why this matters for treatment

Understanding pain is not about convincing people their symptoms are imaginary.

Quite the opposite.

Understanding pain can sometimes reduce fear, increase self-understanding, and open additional pathways for support and recovery.

Persistent pain often benefits from an interdisciplinary and multimodal approach.

Family physicians, specialists, rehabilitation providers, mental health professionals, movement-based therapies, medications, education, lifestyle strategies, and supportive care may all play important roles depending on the individual and their situation.

Massage therapy can be one supportive piece of that picture.

Not because I believe I can “fix” every injury or condition.

I can't.

But I can support people living with pain.

I can help reduce or manage symptoms using evidence-informed, non-pharmacological strategies.

I can help explore movement tolerance, symptom patterns, triggers, pacing, graded progression, and sustainable ways of supporting function and quality of life.

And perhaps most importantly:

I can help people feel understood in experiences that are often frustrating, exhausting, confusing, and isolating.

Pain is complex.

Human beings are complex.

Healthcare is complex.

But complexity does not mean hopelessness.

It means we approach pain with curiosity, compassion, and a willingness to work collaboratively toward meaningful goals.