You go through months of pain. You see your doctor, maybe an orthopedist, maybe even a surgeon. They order the MRI. The report comes back. It says “normal.”But you are not normal. You still hurt. You still cannot move the way you used to. Something is still wrong.We hear this story every week in our Charlotte clinic.

Why a Normal MRI Does Not Mean You Are Fine

An MRI is good at showing structural problems. Torn rotator cuffs. Herniated discs. Advanced arthritis. But most chronic pain patients do not have something that obvious.Instead, the problem often comes down to adhesion and nerve entrapment.Adhesion is like glue that builds up between muscles, tendons, and nerves. It forms when your body heals from injury or breaks down from repetitive use. These tissues are supposed to slide smoothly. When they get glued together you lose movement. When nerves are trapped they lose blood flow and start to send pain, weakness, or tingling.Adhesion is the most common and most overlooked cause of chronic pain in adults. And it never shows up on an MRI.That is why so many people bounce from provider to provider with clean scans but no relief.

A Real Story: When the Scan Missed the Real Problem

One patient came in with severe hip pain. She had already gone through medications, injections, and rounds of physical therapy. Her provider ordered a pelvic MRI. It came back “clear.”When we reviewed her case, it did not make sense. Why a pelvic MRI when the pain was in her hip? We asked her to get the right imaging. The hip MRI showed inflammation and arthritis that had been completely missed the first time.Even more important than the new scan was what we found in her exam. Adhesion around the hip was locking down her motion and driving her pain. Once we started breaking that adhesion down, she finally began to feel the relief that years of other care had missed.

The ARM Approach: How We Find What Others Miss

At Resolve STS we use Adhesion Release Methods, or ARM, to find what imaging cannot see.That means testing your movement joint by joint. Using trained hands to palpate for adhesion and nerve entrapment. And then releasing the glue that has been holding you back.This process is designed for people who have already seen multiple providers with little to no relief. It is precise, and when adhesion is the cause the results are lasting.

What to Do If You Are Still in Pain

If you have had an MRI or two come back “normal” but you are still in pain, do not stop there. It does not mean you imagined it. It means the usual tests did not go deep enough.Our clinic in SouthPark helps patients from Charlotte, Ballantyne, Myers Park, Dilworth, and from across South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. Most of them came in with “normal” scans and years of pain. Many of them now have their lives back.If that is your story, it may be time to look beyond the scan.Book a consultation with Zac here so we can learn your story and help you get the permanent pain relief you deserve!