Have you ever noticed how hearing certain words can immediately make you feel anxious? Words like "arthritis," "disc prolapse," "degeneration," or "bone-on-bone" often carry powerful emotional meaning. For many people, these terms don't just describe a diagnosis—they create fear, uncertainty, and the belief that their body is permanently damaged. Modern pain science tells us that this matters. Pain is produced by the brain after it weighs up many different sources of informat