When pain lasts for months or years, it can slowly become part of everyday life. You change how you sleep. You avoid certain movements. You stop doing activities that hurt. Eventually, you may even start believing that discomfort and limited mobility are simply your new normal.
But persistent pain can be a reason to keep asking questions.
In this episode of Mind Matters, Kiley Como continues his conversation with Ken Mench, president and founder of Mench Method Bodywork and author of Every Baby Hurts. Together, they explore physical tension and movement restrictions from infancy through adulthood, the importance of looking beyond symptoms, and why people experiencing lingering problems after an injury may benefit from a broader, multidisciplinary approach to recovery.
Can Babies Experience Physical Tension and Discomfort?
One of the most interesting parts of Mench’s work involves infants who cannot explain what hurts or why they are uncomfortable.
His interest in infant bodywork began with his own grandchildren. Mench describes observing significant tightness and movement restrictions that he believed were connected to their positioning before birth. Those experiences eventually inspired his book, Every Baby Hurts.
His experiences led him to question whether some behaviors commonly considered normal in babies could, in certain cases, be associated with physical discomfort or restricted movement.
For parents, that raises an important point: babies communicate differently.
They cannot tell you their neck feels tight or that moving a leg hurts. Crying, difficulty sleeping, feeding challenges, or resistance to certain movements may be among the clues that encourage parents to discuss their concerns with a pediatrician or another qualified healthcare professional.
Paying Attention to How a Baby Moves
Mench encourages parents to pay attention to movement patterns.
Does the baby consistently keep their legs pulled toward their body? Do they strongly resist having a leg extended? Do they seem comfortable turning their head in one direction but not the other?
These observations do not diagnose a medical condition, but they can give parents useful information to bring to their child’s healthcare provider.
One example discussed in the episode is torticollis, a condition involving an abnormal position or tilt of an infant’s head and neck. Mench describes working with muscular tightness in infants experiencing restricted neck movement.
When parents notice persistent movement restrictions or discomfort, the important thing is not to assume the cause. It is to recognize the pattern, ask questions, and seek appropriate professional guidance.
Why the Whole Body Matters After an Injury
The conversation then shifts from infants to people recovering from accidents and other injuries.
A collision can place tremendous forces on the body. The neck, shoulders, back, and surrounding soft tissues may all be affected.
Mench’s perspective focuses heavily on the way muscular tightness and restriction may influence movement after an injury. If someone already had limited mobility or muscular imbalances before an accident, he believes those existing patterns may also influence how the body responds afterward.
That is one reason recovery may require looking beyond the exact location where someone reports pain.
Whiplash Is More Than a Sore Neck
Whiplash can occur when the head and neck move rapidly during a collision.
Afterward, someone may experience:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Shoulder discomfort
- Reduced range of motion
- Headaches
- Muscle tightness
- Pain with certain movements
When these symptoms persist, patients may need evaluation from multiple types of healthcare providers.
Depending on the injury, that could include physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, or other specialists.
Before beginning bodywork or other hands-on treatment after a significant accident, it is important to rule out fractures and other injuries that may require medical treatment.
Why Hydration Came Up in the Brain Injury Conversation
Mench also discusses hydration as part of overall physical health and athletic performance.
Hydration affects muscles and many other systems throughout the body, making adequate fluid intake an important part of general health and recovery.
During the conversation, Mench also discusses hydration in relation to concussion and brain injury. While maintaining appropriate hydration is important for overall health, hydration should not be viewed as a substitute for proven concussion prevention strategies, medical evaluation, or appropriate return-to-play protocols.
Anyone who experiences a suspected concussion should be properly evaluated regardless of how well hydrated they were before the injury.
What Happens When Treatment Isn’t Working?
One of the most important questions raised in the episode is:
What should you do when you have seen several providers but still aren’t getting better?
Mench says that when his clients are not making the progress he expects, he starts wondering whether something else may be contributing to the problem.
That may mean additional evaluation or referral to another healthcare professional.
The broader lesson is valuable for anyone recovering from an injury: if treatment is not working, communicate that with your healthcare providers.
Ask questions such as:
- Why am I still experiencing this pain?
- Should additional imaging be considered?
- Could another injury have been missed?
- Is there another specialist I should see?
- Why is my mobility still limited?
- Are there other treatment approaches that may be appropriate?
Recovery should not become an endless cycle of repeating the same treatment without understanding why symptoms remain.
Looking at the Entire Recovery Picture
Mench emphasizes that the body is interconnected.
For that reason, his approach considers factors beyond the specific muscle or joint that hurts. He discusses movement, sleep posture, hydration, nutrition, muscular tension, and overall function as pieces of a much larger puzzle.
This whole-person approach also reinforces the importance of interdisciplinary care.
A massage therapist should not replace a physician. A chiropractor should not replace necessary diagnostic imaging. Physical therapy may address problems that another provider does not.
Different professionals bring different expertise to the recovery process.
Be Careful With Health and Nutrition Claims
The episode also touches on dietary approaches that Mench personally follows and recommends.
Nutrition can certainly play an important role in overall health, but individual dietary recommendations should be evaluated carefully and discussed with an appropriate medical or nutrition professional, particularly when they involve claims about inflammation, autoimmune disease, or treating specific medical conditions.
What works for one person is not automatically appropriate for another.
For injury survivors, the larger takeaway is to consider whether sleep, nutrition, hydration, activity, and other everyday habits are supporting or interfering with the recovery process.
Don’t Accept Lingering Pain Without Asking Why
Perhaps the most important message from this conversation is not that one treatment can solve every person’s pain.
It is that persistent symptoms deserve questions.
If months have passed since an accident and you still cannot turn your neck normally, sleep comfortably, exercise, work without pain, or participate in activities you previously enjoyed, tell your healthcare providers.
There may be additional treatment options to explore or additional evaluations that could help identify why your recovery has stalled.
Final Thoughts
Recovery after an injury rarely involves just one part of the body or one type of treatment.
Pain can influence movement. Movement can create compensation. Poor sleep can make recovery harder. Fear of pain can change activity levels. And over time, those patterns may affect someone’s overall quality of life.
The goal should not simply be learning how to tolerate symptoms.
It should be understanding what is causing them, seeking appropriate medical guidance, and continuing to advocate for answers when something does not feel right.
Whether you are caring for an uncomfortable child, recovering from a recent accident, or dealing with pain that has been present for years, stay curious about what your body is telling you.
In pain, call Shane. 980-999-9999
Shane Smith Law is committed to helping injury victims navigate both the medical and legal challenges that can follow serious accidents and life-changing injuries.
