Check Engine Light
Have you ever had car trouble? When the check engine light came on, did you delay a trip to the mechanic because you were hoping it would resolve on its own? Or did you delay to avoid the financial or time cost that you knew was coming?
As much as I like my mechanic and as much as I like a smooth driving car, I’m guilty of delaying necessary car maintenance for each of the above reasons. I’m sure my mechanic has gotten a good laugh or 2 out of my attempts to diagnose and repair engine troubles!
No, I’m not planning on opening a garage. And this isn’t a knock on my sister from our high school days either. But I bet if our old road hasn’t been repaved, you can still see the lines from where she drove one of the rims of our ‘89 Accord into the asphalt for about half of a mile before she pulled into our driveway! Who has time for a flat tire?!
Hopefully most of you are not like me (or my sister) and you’re quick to get in to your mechanic as soon as the check engine light flashes.
But enough about cars. This blog is about your body’s check engine light. Too often, we delay taking care of our bodies for the same reasons.
For a recent patient, her body’s check engine light expressed itself as hip pain. Thankfully our bodies tell us when something is off - whether it’s pain, or tightness, or weakness, or tingling/numbness. This is simply the body’s way of saying your movement is not complete. Your movement is incomplete, meaning it is lacking proper mobility or strength or coordination. Imagine that the lug nuts on a wheel on your car have not been tightened properly. Can you imagine the damage that can be done to your car? (Check out our i3 video on our website - https://nwmobilept.com/videos)
My patient’s hip pain had been going on for months before she scheduled a visit with me. When I asked her the reason for delaying care, she said that she just thought it would get better with time. I’ll be the first and the loudest to say how amazing the body has been designed and created. And I’ve seen countless times that the body has been incredibly resilient. But like my mechanic tells me, if there’s a problem, it’s always best to get it looked at if nothing else.
Unless the cause of the problem is found and addressed, the problem (or incomplete movement) is most likely going to stick around. The continuation of this problem is going to continue to cause the check engine light to flash and could certainly lead to more serious issues.
As my patient was running in place with a big smile on her face this morning and telling me that she’s had no pain all week, I know she’s happy that she addressed her body’s check engine light!
I’ll leave you with 2 thoughts to consider the next time your body’s check engine light flashes at you -
Imagine what you could do if you don’t wait to solve the problem.
Imagine what you could miss out on in the future if you continue waiting to solve the problem.
