Pain is a perception that comes from the damaged tissue hitting a threshold. As your spine alignment is restored, tissues repair and function returns. Pain relief is not directly related to the amount of spinal alignment but the amount of tissue repair that has occurred. This is why it’s hard to predict when pain will come or go. Pain could stay away with just a few adjustments, but a lot of work needs to be done to restore the spine to its normal alignment. On the other hand, spinal alignment could be close to optimum, yet pain may still be present. Unfortunately, a misaligned spine will eventually cause pain or dysfunction to the body.