In the first part of this post , we said that “pain is not always an accurate indicator of tissue health! Instead, pain means your brain is trying to protect you from something.”

This second part will help you determine what to do about your pain.

How do I know if my pain is due to tissue damage or not?

Here are a few situations that may lead you to suspect pain without tissue damage:

• I tried everything (Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, etc.) over the past several months but it's not getting better.

• Massage, needling or exercise help, but only provide temporary relief. Pain comes back within a week.

• It hurts, even though my doctor said there is nothing wrong based on diagnostic imaging (x-ray, CT-scan, MRI).

These are just a few examples. In order to find out the cause of pain, you need a thorough assessment, and should consult with a healthcare professional who specializes in chronic pain.

Why do I need to find out if I have tissue damage or not?

Because the best treatment approach changes based on what causes pain.

If pain is caused by structural damage, then treatment to the injured tissue should work.

However, if you experience pain without structural damage, treatment to the painful site won't work or you will only experience temporary relief. You would greatly benefit from a holistic approach to regain control.

Physiotherapy can help

We provide treatment for Chronic Pain including:

• Lower back pain

• Neck/shoulder pain

• Fibromyalgia

• Migraines/tension headaches

• Chronic fatigue

The benefits of physiotherapy for chronic pain are:

• Get a proper pain assessment (understand what causes it - is it tissue damage or not?)

• Get a science-based, personalized plan helping you to get back to the activities you love

• Understand your condition and regain control

Kaz Kikuchi from MoveMed Physiotherapy is trained to help people with chronic pain. He uses Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) for general chronic pain to help with fear and emotions, and Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) specifically for chronic lower back pain.

If you can relate to the different examples in this blog post, give us a call and we will be happy to help you regain control and get back to your activities.