The Food-Pain Connection

07 Apr, 2025

Pain, especially chronic can often be a trigger that motivates us to seek out advice or support. Various physical therapies like those offered at BodiWorks can be a great way to help strengthen areas of the body to help manage and reduce pain. However, when it comes to managing chronic pain there’s an important piece that when combined with exercise therapy, can make a big difference on the quality of life and pain experienced-that piece is your diet! Part 1(of 2)-How Food Choices Impact Pain Understanding Inflammation Inflammation is a term that is used to describe your body’s response to injury or illness. Let’s explore physical injury as an example, since many people are more familiar with how the immune system responds those. For instance, say you sprain your knee; it would become red, swollen, warm and painful, the cardinal signs of inflammation. This is the body’s natural immune response, helping to heal from injury and infection, so a bit of inflammation is natural and a good thing! This inflammatory response has a purpose though: to control the foreign invader or damaging agent (which can be the food you’re eating if it doesn’t agree with you!). As a result of this response, some of the healthy cells and tissues surrounding the area are damaged. The key piece in the inflammatory response is that it is ended before it damages too many healthy cells. Inflammation and the Digestive Tract The same inflammatory response that also occurs systemically (as above example), is rooted within your digestive tract! Often ignored or unfelt by most. The inflammatory response is often ongoing since foods that are causing the inflammation are eaten regularly. This means what you choose to eat at every meal influences your immune system response and its ability to function optimally and keep you safe! Reducing inflammation within the digestive tract is so important to your overall health and how you feel day to day because this is where 70% of your immune system lies! This is called the 'innate immune system'. If this inflammatory response within the digestive tract becomes chronic, the immune system is constantly being stimulated and inflammation levels can increase and travel throughout the body, contributing to worse inflammation in the areas of your body that are already experiencing or are prone to pain like your back, knee or shoulder. Think of having regular pains and why you have them? This inflammatory response can feel invisible to many of us because it may not feel the same way as a sprain or injury would which means over time chronic