why does pain not always show up immediately after injury?
WHY CAN PAIN TAKE TIME TO SHOW UP AFTER AN INJURY? Sometimes I get emails that beg to be answered via a posted article so that everyone can learn something (HERE’S ANOTHER ONE). The question below was sent to me by an individual who will remain anonymous. Understand that what she is going through is […]
scar tissue: america’s number one cause of chronic pain, chronic illness, and death
Death by Scar Tissue (Fibrosis) Note from Dr Schierling: This post was originally published a decade ago. Given the changing landscape of medical information and previous efforts to restrict this content via shadow-banning and outright censorship, I have updated and republished it for accuracy and relevance as of 1/26/2026. When you think of the Western […]
revisiting the inflammation / fibrosis (scar tissue) connection as the solution to chronic pain and chronic disease
FOR THOSE STRUGGLING WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND / OR CHRONIC DISEASE: PAY ATTENTION! INFLAMMATION & FIBROSIS: THE FORMER ALWAYS LEADS TO THE LATER “When you see smoke (inflammation), you had better start looking for fire (fibrosis).” – Dr. Russell Schierling “Nearly 45% of all deaths in the developed world are attributed to some type of chronic […]
functional medicine: testing -vs- action steps
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINESHOULD I TEST OR SHOULD I ACT? I remember back a number of years ago when Johnson & Johnson jumped on the “natural health” bandwagon and created the short-lived Herbal Tylenol. Although that product is no longer around, it shows how desperate corporate America is to jump on any bandwagon that might make them […]
chronic pain: the clinical criteria for central sensitization
CENTRAL SENSITIZATION: WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE CLINICALLY? I’ve written about CHRONIC PAIN’S PERFECT STORM several times over the years, and according to my “unofficial” definition, it always refers to three distinct concepts. Not only is FASCIA the most abundant connective tissue in the body, it is arguably the single most pain-sensitive as well. FIBROSIS […]
chronic pain: facts & solutions
FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU HOPE TO CONQUER YOUR CHRONIC PAIN Although there are many reasons people end up with CHRONIC PAIN (some purely mechanical), often times it’s totally, or at least largely, a function of inflammation. Unfortunately, the biggest majority of the American public has no idea what inflammation really is, what […]
acute traumatic injury or chronic repetitive injury: which is worse?
ACUTE TRAUMATIC INJURIES OR CHRONIC REPETITIVE INJURIES: WHICH ARE WORSE? “We also need to consider the difference between treating pain and treating the condition. Virtually nothing is known about using medication to stop or reverse tissue degeneration. Medication for Repetitive Stress Injuries is almost always just about symptom relief. The specific cause of Repetitive Stress […]
why use alternative medicine for chronic pain?
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE FOR CHRONIC PAIN?IT’S ONLY LOGICAL WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ALTERNATIVE! “More than 50% of U.S. adults, that is, approximately 125 million Americans, suffer from one or more musculoskeletal pain disorders. The goal of pain management is usually to achieve maximum reduction in pain intensity as quickly as possible, to restore an individual’s […]
some random thoughts on studies related to fascia, chronic pain, chronic illness, inflammation, and fibrosis (scar tissue)
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES SHOW THAT ANY NUMBER OF CHRONIC HEALTH PROBLEMS CAN BE HELPED OR PREVENTED When you look at current scientific studies, you quickly realize that inflammation is everything — the driver of the vast majority of your chronic health problems. Often times it also drives Chronic Pain. Today I am going to show you […]
what’s really causing your back pain and what you can do to fix it
CHRONIC BACK PAINA COMBINATION OF BONY RESTRICTION, FASCIAL ADHESION, MUSCLE WEAKNESS, LOSS OF PROPRIOCEPTION, AND INFLAMMATION If there’s one thing we know for sure about Chronic Low Back Pain it’s that the model we currently use for looking at it is outdated. What do I mean? First and foremost, you can tell very little from […]
the inflammation, scar tissue, degeneration conundrum: the three horsemen of chronic pain and disease
“The repair process of damaged tissue involves the coordinated activities of several cell types in response to local and systemic signals. During chronic tissue damage, the inflammatory-cell infiltration and fibroblast activation persists, while the reparative capacity of stem cells (satellite cells) is attenuated. Abnormal dystrophic muscle repair and its end stage, fibrosis, represent the final […]
how to solve the pain and restriction from chronic problems
CHRONIC NECK PAIN?A THREE-STEP SOLUTION FOR SOLVING CHRONIC PAIN AND RESTRICTION Chiropractors are an interesting lot. They typically spend a lot of time talking about “maintenance,” yet all too frequently, don’t seem to understand what this term really means (HERE). What it doesn’t mean is lots and lots of visits simply because ENDLESS ADJUSTMENTS are […]
dealing with chronic pain: there’s more than one way to skin a cat
CHRONIC PAIN CAUSED BY ADHESIONS / FIBROSIS OF YOUR FASCIA?YOU’LL FIND MUCH MORE THAN THAT ON OUR SITE! I recently received an email that asked, “Dr. Schierling, for a site called Destroy Chronic Pain, why do you have so much stuff on your site that’s not related to pain?” Firstly, I’m not going to apologize […]
doctors aren’t prescribing opioids like they used to, and what those of you struggling with chronic pain can do about it
WONDERING ABOUT THE OPIOID CRISIS?HOW TO ADDRESS YOUR CHRONIC PAIN WITHOUT NARCOTICS “Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, from 1980’s Against the Wind I have been known to take the medical community to task for the ridiculous ways they often treat their patients — […]
dry needling, fascial adhesions, chronic pain, and trigger points
Although the term “Dry Needling” was coined by Dr. Janet Travell in her Magnus Opus (Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: Trigger Point Manual), it has been around for thousands of years as a form of ACUPUNCTURE. Practitioners use it to treat BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN we call Myofascial Syndrome (TRIGGER POINTS & FASCIAL ADHESIONS). Dr. […]
antidepressants are in the news yet again
DEPRESSED ABOUT YOUR ANTIDEPRESSANT? YOU PROBABLY SHOULD BE! “According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center, about 20% of Americans use at least five prescription medications. That same research shows that prescription drug use has been increasing steadily in the U.S. for the past decade.” Cherry-picked from Lacie Glover’s June 1, 2015 […]
new england journal of medicine talks chronic pain
PRESTIGIOUS MEDICAL JOURNAL TAKES ON STANDARDS OF CARE FOR DEALING WITH CHRONIC PAIN “I moderate a group of back pain sufferers. Nearly all are on heavy medication. Nearly all have tried EVERYTHING else first, including up to 17 different surgeries on 1 person. The doctors must accept some of the blame for this one. Physical […]
study show that sad (standard american diet) causes chronic pain
“These results highlight the negative effects of poor diet quality with respect to recovery from hypersensitivity and susceptibility to chronic pain. A complete understanding of the impact of diet can aid in treatment and recovery dynamics in human clinical patients.” The conclusions of the study being discussed today. A study published in the current issue of […]
can chronic pain be prevented?
CHRONIC PAINPREVENTING IT BEFORE IT STARTS “It is estimated that 120 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain conditions have become the most prevalent chronic conditions and the primary driver of health care, costing more than diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, and is the most common cause of work loss […]
chronic pain and adhesed fascia
CHRONIC PAIN SOLUTIONSFOR ADHESED FASCIA CHRONIC PAIN — according to medical sources, it affects nearly one in three Americans to some degree (about 100 million people). It’s important, however, to understand that not all CHRONIC PAIN is debilitating — much of it is not. “Chronic” simply means that it is ongoing — a nagging ache […]