Needless Pain

Needless Pain

Once, during therapy, I came to a session with a stiff neck.  I couldn't turn my head or adjust my position in the chair without grimacing.  After observing me for five or ten minutes, my therapist said, "What's the matter with your neck?"

"I don't know.  For about a week I've had this stiff neck.  It doesn't seem to go away.  This morning I could hardly back my car out of the driveway because it hurt so much to turn my head."

"Why don't you see a chiropractor?" she said.

"I never thought of that," I replied.

"Here," she said as she reached for a small notepad on her desk, "I'll give you the name of an excellent chiropractor."

After my session I went home, called the chiropractor, and, to my surprise, made an appointment for that afternoon.  He worked on my neck and shoulders for about an hour.  The relief was immediate.  The next day I felt a little residual soreness, noticeable when backing the car.  The following day, no pain remained.

When I reflected on the experience, I realized I tolerated needlessly that pain in the neck.  Because I could, I did.  Left to my own devices, I might have waited forever for the pain to go away--or allowed it to get worse.  Furthermore, I needed help to arrive at that insight and to act on it.

Now, I occasionally review my life and ask myself, "Am I tolerating pain needlessly?"