When my mother was examined by the doctor for her pain in her side, her doctor commented that she was “guarding.” I asked what that meant, but she didn’t answer. What does it mean when someone is guarding?

Guarding your body where you have pain is an instinctual reaction for many people. This is because they want to protect the body from any further pain or from pain returning. So, if you have pain in your stomach, for example, when someone approaches you to examine it, you may, unconsciously, take your hand and put it protectively over the area – guarding it from pain.