Why Your Pain Moves Around (and Why That’s Normal)

One day it’s your shoulder. The next, your hip. Then your jaw flares up — and the original issue disappears. If you’ve felt like you’re “chasing” pain around your body, you’re not imagining it.

This is common in people with hypermobility, chronic pain, EDS, and nervous system dysregulation.

Why does pain shift?

Your body is constantly adapting. When one area hurts, you change how you move — sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. These compensations can:

• Overload other joints

• Create new tension patterns

• Confuse your proprioception (body awareness)

• Increase nervous system sensitivity

Your body is trying to help. But sometimes that help creates more chaos.

Pain is not always a signal of damage

Pain is a protective response. It’s influenced by:

• Movement patterns

• Stress levels

• Sleep quality

• Emotions

• Expectations

• Past experiences

That’s why pain can appear in one area today and another tomorrow — especially if your system is on high alert.

What we do in PT

At Connective Care Physical Therapy, we zoom out.

Instead of chasing each pain individually, we look at:

• Overall movement strategy

• Nervous system load

• Patterns of compensation

• Core and joint support

• Your story

Pain that moves isn’t fake. It’s a clue. Together, we learn what it’s trying to say.

Pain that shifts is still real. And you still deserve care.
[Give us a call at (631) 448-3764 or email at diana@connectivecarept.com]