#3 Reasons Injuries Become Chronic Pain

You expect an injury to get better, either naturally with time or the help of treatment, such as physiotherapy, steroid injection or surgery.

Except, some injuries don't heal and the pain becomes chronic. Common examples are plantar fasciitis, frozen shoulder, hip pain  and lower back ache.

No matter what you try, the pain keeps coming back. Here's 3 reasons this happens that I see in clients:

• The area that hurts isn't the root issue. It's actually an adaptation to the actual problem.
• Kinesiophobia - an often unconscious fear of movement and flaring the injury
• Treatment hopping in a constant quest to find a cure

How can you make sure you avoid these common pitfalls to injury recovery?

Let's dive into each one in more detail....

1) The area that hurts isn't the root issue. It's actually an adaptation to the actual problem.

This is a BIG one!

Most doctors, physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors get sucked into aiming all of their efforts and interventions at the area their patient says is hurting them. It's what I call the "symptom-focused" approach of conventional medical treatments.

The big risk of this approach is not assessing the whole person and missing key pieces of information that would help their patient get out of pain.

This is what happened to a recent client who approached me for help with a frozen right shoulder that wasn't improving despite a year of physiotherapy and a steroid injection. Her limited range of movement had become quite debilitating for her.

Before her 1:1 breakthrough session I asked her to provide a full history of all injuries and surgeries, even if they didn't seem relevant to her current condition. Looking at the information she provided, a pattern was emerging of how her body might have learned to adapt over many years, from her 20's.

We started by adjusting her feet, which weren't actually underneath her at all and were unbalancing her body. Then we worked on releasing the centre of her body and restoring natural movement to her pelvis.

After establishing these basic skills, we moved onto the Back Lift series. At this point, it became obvious that it was her left shoulder which was the problem child leading the right shoulder astray!

The painful freezing of the right shoulder was actually a learned adaptation to her old job as a waitress and a couple of seemingly unrelated injuries - a post-partum self-dislocating rib and a knee injury after a skiing accident. 

Once we reminded her brain that she had a left scapula, her right shoulder thawed spontaneously. After just 1 hour, she was able to raise her right arm above her head for the first time in over a year!!!

2) Kinesiophobia

This is an often unconscious fear of movement in case you make your injury worse and flare the pain.

Your body's instinctive response to pain or injury is to brace. Muscles reflexively contract and tighten to restrict movement and limit any further damage.

Over time, your body can initiate these protective bracing actions whenever your brain senses a triggering movement that may cause a repeat of the initial injury.

The irony is that perennially tense muscles result in stiff movements that feel painful. You start to associate moving with pain, and end up becoming less active,

The less you move, the stiffer you get and then you're stuck in chronic pain.

Kinesiophobia can also be a result of beliefs, such as "Bending forwards is bad for my back" or "I'll put my back out if I lift anything heavy".

When you do a movement or action that's connected with this belief, say do a forward fold in Yoga or pick up a weighty box, your muscles instantly brace to stop you doing that movement and protect you from getting injured.

This feels painful, so you avoid that movement or action. If you do this often enough, it becomes an unthinking habit.

Perhaps, you can think of some examples in your own life where you've stopped doing something because you're worried about it hurting.

3) Treatment Hopping

Over the years I've spoken to several people who've wanted my help but are so fixated on finding a solution to their pain it's bordering on obsession.

They can't see beyond their injury, and all their questions centre around what they can do to fix the pain. 

Here's something worth noting about how the brain works.....

The more you focus on something, the more all-encompassing it becomes. 

When your attention is constantly on how your back is feeling, all you'll notice is the symptoms of your injury.

How To Overcome These Common Blocks To Recovery From Chronic Pain

1 thing that has really shifted the needle for my clients has been UNDERSTANDING.

Understanding what's triggering their pain removes the "fear factor" and helps them to move out of the survival-protection cycle.

This dials down the "fight or flight" sympathetic response, and upregulates the parasympathetic nervous system, enhancing the body's natural capacity to heal.

Old compensatory patterns driven by fear and a need to protect are replaced by new ways of moving with more ease, comfort and confidence. 

I work differently to other medical and health professionals by considering my client's life experiences, entire medical history and how they use their body.

I don't simply focus on the injury they've asked for help with. 

By looking at the bigger picture the patterns that have led them to their current circumstances start to become apparent.

That's how I was able to see that the chronically painful frozen right shoulder was a symptom of a bigger dysfunction on the opposite side of the body. No wonder that steroid injection only had a short-lived benefit!

I take time during the breakthrough to explain to my clients what their body is doing that's creating the pain they're feeling. Understanding the mechanism of their injury shows them how to reverse that path and finally get out of pain.

Can you see yourself in any of the 3x common reasons why injuries turn into chronic pain that we've just discussed?

IF the answer is yes, read on for your next steps to break free from the shackles of chronic pain and live an unlimited life doing all the things you love with confidence and joy.....

WAYS TO WORK WITH ME TO RELIEVE PAIN & PREVENT INJURY

If you're ready to find lasting freedom from chronic pain and stiffness, an awesome option is:

1) Unlock Your Body breakthrough session

This is a one-off powerful 1:1 session designed to help you understand the root triggers behind your persistent pain. A breakthrough session is ideal if you have a specific pain or injury that you're struggling to resolve, even if you've already tried other treatments.

We'll work together to find new ways of moving without pain. You'll leave with a deeper knowledge of what's driving pain in your body, and a clear action plan to get lasting relief. 

For some of my clients, a single session is enough to reset their body out of pain. For others, this is their first step to learning how to move their body without pain after months or years of struggling.

Apply HERE  and I'll be in touch to arrange an initial complementary consultation to discuss whether an Unlock Your Body breakthrough session will be a good fit for you. 

Other ways you can find help with managing pain or an injury are:

• Book into a Stretch or Pilates class with me - these are a good introduction to some movement explorations from The Befriend Your Body (BYB) Method for pain relief and relaxation. This is my signature framework that I use to help my clients get out of pain and back to the activities they love.
• Subscribe HERE to receive "The Movement Chronicle", a free weekly e-newsletter delivering movement and pain relief truth bombs directly into your inbox every Monday morning,

You can connect with me through any of these channels:

• Email at norma@unicornhealthandfitness.com
• Follow me on Facebook and DM me on Messenger https://www.facebook.com/norma.pearsonfitness
• WhatsApp message to 07801 867361.