Why It Still Hurts: The Real Root Cause of Musculoskeletal Pain
Most people who walk through our doors at M-Health have a similar story:
“I stretch every day… I foam roll… I get massages… but it still hurts when…”
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone -and it’s not your fault.
Pain isn’t simply about “tight muscles” or “bad posture.”
In fact, for most people, persistent pain comes down to one thing:
Your body’s ability to tolerate load isn’t matching the load you’re placing on it.
Not very glamorous. But extremely fixable.
At M-Health Osteopathy & Sports Medicine in Pennant Hills, we help patients reduce pain and restore function by looking at the “why” behind the symptoms - not just the symptoms themselves.
Let’s break it down.
The Myth of Tightness: Why Stretching Alone Doesn’t Fix Pain
Stretching feels good in the moment because it provides temporary relief.
But if you’re constantly stretching the same spots - hamstrings, hip flexors, lower back - without any lasting change, it’s a sign the issue is deeper.
Common reasons stretching doesn’t work long-term:
The muscle isn’t actually tight - it’s protective.
Your nervous system doesn’t trust the range you’re forcing.
You haven’t built strength or capacity in the right areas.
You’re treating symptoms, not the underlying imbalance.
This is why we emphasise assessment over guesswork.
Pain Is a Capacity Problem, Not a Flexibility Problem
Your tissues have a limit to what they can tolerate - this is called load capacity.
If your daily activities exceed that capacity (even by a little), your body creates pain as an early warning system.
This happens in:
Lower back pain from long desk hours
Knee or hip pain from running or walking hills
Neck and shoulder pain from stress or screens
Recurring “tightness” that never truly shifts
Pain that flares after a big weekend of activity
When capacity is low and load is high, pain happens.
The 4 Factors That Keep You in a Pain Loop
1. Weakness in Key Areas
Often glutes, deep core, mid-back muscles, foot stabilisers.
If these areas can’t handle force, other tissues pick up the slack - usually poorly.
2. Poor Movement Patterns
Not “bad posture,” but simply habits your body created due to life, stress, and repetition.
3. Nervous System Sensitivity
Once pain hangs around, the nervous system becomes more protective.
This is where Neubie/NeuFit and manual therapy help calm the system.
4. Too Much, Too Soon
Classic “weekend warrior” syndrome.
You’re capable - but capacity can drop without you noticing.
What Actually Fixes Pain Long-Term?
The approach we use at M-Health follows a predictable three-stage framework:
1. Reduce Pain
Through:
Hands-on osteopathy
NeuFit/Neubie neuromuscular therapy
Laser therapy
Gentle joint mobility
Swelling/inflammation reduction
Goal: calm the system and create immediate change.
2. Restore Function
We improve:
Joint mobility
Strength in under-performing muscles
Coordination
Load tolerance
Goal: build a body that moves better, more efficiently, with less effort.
3. Improve Structure
This is the part most people skip, but it’s where long-term results happen.
We slowly increase:
Strength
Load capacity
Endurance
Movement variability
Goal: a body that can handle real life — work, sport, kids, training, stress.
Real Results Come From Treating the Why, Not the What
Your pain makes sense.
Your body isn’t broken.
It just needs the right combination of:
Assessment
Hands-on treatment
Nervous system retraining
Strength and load progression
This is our bread and butter.
Ready to Finally Stop the Pain Cycle?
Book an appointment with our osteopaths in Pennant Hills.
We’ll help you understand your pain, treat what’s driving it, and create a plan to get you functioning — not just “managing.”
👉 Book online at M-Health Osteopathy & Sports Medicine
Free parking available via Fisher Ave.
