Chronic Pain Management
Chronic Pain Management
Chronic pain is a complex, multidimensional experience that persists beyond the expected healing time — typically defined as pain lasting more than 3 months. Unlike acute pain, chronic pain often reflects central sensitisation where the brain’s alarm system becomes overactive. Our physiotherapists integrate physical treatment, pain neuroscience education, graded activity, cognitive strategies, and lifestyle coaching to deliver comprehensive, lasting change.
CONDITIONS TREATED
- Fibromyalgia
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Chronic low back pain
- Persistent neck pain
- Central sensitisation
- Chronic widespread pain
- Post-surgical chronic pain
- Persistent headaches
TECHNIQUES & PROCESS
1. Biological
Addressing physical contributors through manual therapy, exercise, electrotherapy, and tissue healing strategies.
2. Psychological
Pain neuroscience education, cognitive-behavioural strategies, fear-avoidance addressing, and self-efficacy building.
3. Social
Understanding work, family, cultural, and lifestyle factors that influence pain experience and recovery trajectory.
4. Graded Activity & Exposure
Systematic, progressive reintroduction of feared or avoided movements to recalibrate the nervous system.
5. Lifestyle Optimisation
Sleep hygiene, stress management, nutrition guidance, and pacing strategies as part of a comprehensive plan.
KEY BENEFITS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can physiotherapy help if nothing else has worked?
Yes — and often dramatically so. Many patients with chronic pain have found medication and passive treatments only partially helpful. A modern, biopsychosocial physiotherapy approach is fundamentally different. By addressing central sensitisation, movement fear, lifestyle factors, and neuroscience understanding simultaneously, meaningful improvements in pain, function, and quality of life are achievable even for people who have suffered for many years.
What is pain neuroscience education?
Pain neuroscience education (PNE) is a structured approach to helping patients understand how the nervous system produces and amplifies pain. Learning that chronic pain is often driven by an oversensitised nervous system rather than ongoing tissue damage is genuinely liberating. Research shows PNE reduces pain intensity, decreases fear-avoidance behaviour, and improves function — even before physical treatment begins.
Will exercise make my chronic pain worse?
This is one of the most common fears among chronic pain patients. Carefully graded exercise,
prescribed by an experienced physiotherapist who understands chronic pain, is one of the most effective treatments available. We use a graded activity approach — starting far below your symptom threshold and incrementally progressing — so your nervous system adapts safely and confidence builds gradually.
How is chronic pain management different from standard physiotherapy?
Standard physiotherapy often focuses on a specific structure — a muscle, joint, or nerve. Chronic pain management takes a broader view, recognising that after 3+ months of pain, the nervous system itself has changed and must be addressed directly. Sessions are typically longer and more conversational, incorporating education, goal-setting, psychological strategies, and lifestyle review alongside physical treatment.
Do I need a GP referral?
No — you can self-refer directly to our clinic without a GP referral. We welcome direct bookings and will
conduct our own comprehensive assessment. However, if you have a complex medical history or are currently under the care of a pain specialist, bringing those reports to your first appointment is very helpful and allows us to integrate our care with your broader medical management.