Many people recognize the pattern. A complaint appears, is treated, or disappears temporarily, and after a few weeks or months it comes back. It feels like you are starting over again and again. As if it is never truly resolved. That is because in many cases only the symptom is addressed, not the cause. The pain goes away for a while, but the underlying tension or strain remains. As a result, it builds up again, often in exactly the same place.
Symptoms rarely come out of nowhere. They are usually the result of repetition. The same posture, the same load, the same way of moving, or dealing with stress. Your body keeps adapting to that again and again. Muscles take over tasks, become overloaded, and stay tense. Even when the pain has gone away for a while, that pattern does not change on its own. You keep going as you are used to, causing the body to end up in the same state again. At some point, less is needed for that symptom to come back.
Breaking this pattern requires a different approach. Not only responding when the complaint is there, but also looking at what comes before it. Where does the tension build up, and why does it stay there? That means recovery is not a one-time moment, but something you need to support structurally. Targeted treatments can play a role in that, because they not only reduce the complaint, but also help to really release built-up tension. In combination with awareness of your daily burden, space for change emerges. Only then do you prevent yourself from keeping on going around in the same circle.
Written by
Patricia Entjes
Massage therapist
Hi! I'm Patricia and a massage therapist at MHC
