For most people experiencing pain, the ultimate goal of treating it is to be rid of it. But often times targeting this goal involves increasing the use of medications or pursuing interventions that ultimately cause more harm than good. The real goal of treating pain should instead be to achieve or maintain function. This means being able to perform activities of daily living such as going for walks or doing the dishes. It also means completing the activities required of us after surgery such as physical therapy or stretches.

Often times, treating our pain till it goes away completely blocks important signals our body is trying to tell us to slow down or rest. When these signals are missed, we can actually increase our risk of worsening the injury.