Last week, Karen came in for her regular visit and shared an important discovery she’s made about her hip pain.
Karen is in her 70s and remarkably active. She loves to dance and goes dancing weekly. For some time now, she’s been dealing with pain in her right hip as well as her right SI (sacroiliac) joint. While she’s been determined not to let the pain stop her from doing what she loves, she would understandably prefer not to live with it all the time.
We’ve been working together for a few months. During that time, her body has shown clear signs of healing. Her nervous system is no longer stuck in survival mode. And yet, despite these positive changes, the pain persisted.
In my experience, when pain lingers, it’s rarely because the body can’t heal. More often, pain persists not because the body is failing, but because it’s working exactly as it should—trying to get your attention. It’s signaling that something is challenging it.
Very often, that “something” has to do with our habits or the way we’re living our lives.
In Karen’s case, the missing piece turned out to be her diet.
After coming out of survival mode, Karen felt it was time to do a gentle diet reset—to give her digestive system a break. She temporarily eliminated certain foods. During this reset, she noticed something surprising: her hip and SI pain went away. When she later reintroduced some of those foods, the pain returned.
So how is this possible?
Many people are familiar with what’s called a viscera-somatic reflex. This reflex exists because nerves from our internal organs enter the spinal cord at the same levels as nerves that supply our muscles and joints. When an organ is under stress or irritation, it can send signals back to the spinal cord that then irritate the nerves going to muscles or joints.
Common examples include:
- Low back pain during a menstrual cycle
- Arm pain during a heart attack
- Right shoulder pain during a gallbladder attack
- Pain around the navel with appendicitis
In Karen’s case, it’s possible that certain foods were irritating her digestive organs. Those irritated signals fed back into the spinal cord and affected the nerves supplying her SI joint and hip. You can stretch that joint, strengthen it, ice it, medicate it—and still see no lasting change if the true source of irritation isn’t being addressed.
This is why I often say that pain is meant to get our attention.
Pain invites us to pause and ask:
- What am I doing that might be contributing to this?
- Are my habits supporting my body—or stressing it?
- What needs to change so my body can work better?
When we’re stuck in survival mode, these questions are much harder to ask. Survival mode is about getting through the day. If that means silencing the body with distractions or quick fixes, that’s often what we do. Over time, that inattentiveness to the body’s needs can actually cause the body to speak louder—through pain.
One of the most rewarding parts of my work is witnessing moments like Karen’s realization. Seeing someone become aware of what their body needs—and then making meaningful changes—is incredibly empowering. It reminds me that when people reconnect with their bodies, they can become more in charge of their lives: stronger, healthier, and more fulfilled.
Pain isn’t always the enemy. Sometimes, it’s the messenger.