Persistent Pain Recovery
Specialist physiotherapy for persistent pain. I help people understand what's keeping pain going and develop sustainable strategies to rebuild capability and move forward with confidence.
Book Free Discovery CallWhat is Persistent Pain?
Persistent pain, also called chronic pain, is pain that continues beyond typical tissue healing time—usually longer than three months. It can affect any part of the body and may occur with or without an obvious initial injury or diagnosis.
Unlike acute pain, which alerts you to potential tissue damage, persistent pain can feel less clear in its purpose. Yet pain always emerges for reasons—it reflects how your whole system has adapted over time. This includes your body's protective responses, immune function, nervous system sensitivity, movement patterns, stress, beliefs, emotions, and life circumstances. Trauma, early life experiences, and lifestyle can all influence how 'sticky' pain becomes at different times in your life.
Persistent pain isn't 'all in your head', nor does it mean you're weak or imagining things. It's a real, complex condition. Over time, as we explore your unique experience together, the patterns often become clearer—and with that understanding comes the foundation for meaningful change.
Common Symptoms
Symptoms vary from person to person, and each experience is unique. Common presentations include:
Pain lasting longer than three months
Pain that fluctuates without clear pattern
Pain that doesn't match the severity of any scan findings
Increased sensitivity to touch, movement, or other stimuli
Pain that spreads or moves to different areas
Multiple areas of pain or widespread discomfort
Fatigue and reduced energy levels
Sleep disturbance
Difficulty concentrating or 'brain fog'
Impact on mood, including anxiety or low mood
Reduced physical activity and social participation
Loss of confidence in your body's abilities
Why Traditional Approaches Often Fall Short
Many people with persistent pain have undergone extensive investigations, tried numerous medications, and received various treatments with limited success. This often happens because treatments focus on finding and 'fixing' tissue damage that may no longer be present or relevant.
Scans showing 'wear and tear', bulging discs, or arthritis are often given too much weight. Research shows these findings are extremely common in people without pain and don't correlate well with pain severity. Focusing on structural 'abnormalities' can lead to unhelpful beliefs that the body is fragile or damaged.
When pain persists without clear tissue or nerve damage—sometimes called nociplastic pain—standard treatments aimed at 'fixing' structures often miss the mark. Approaches that address only physical factors (exercises, manual therapy, injections) overlook how stress, sleep, beliefs, trauma history, and life circumstances shape pain. Similarly, approaches focused only on psychological factors without addressing movement and physical capability are incomplete.
Effective recovery requires listening to your whole story—understanding not just what hurts, but how pain fits into your life, what you've tried, what's worked, and what matters to you. It's about working with how your whole system has adapted, not trying to fix isolated parts.
Tim's Approach to Persistent Pain Recovery
Recovery isn't just about understanding biology—it's about truly listening to your story, understanding what you've tried, what's worked, and what matters to you. I acknowledge that everything in your life can influence pain and recovery.
With 25+ years of clinical experience and postgraduate training in Pain Science and Society, I bring depth of knowledge—but more importantly, I bring deep curiosity about you as a person. Through a comprehensive assessment, we'll explore your unique experience and develop a personalised plan that fits your life, goals, and circumstances. I'll support you throughout this journey.
My Approach Includes:
- Thorough assessment of how your whole system—physical, emotional, lifestyle—has adapted
- Pain science education that helps you understand your experience in the context of your life
- Movement and exercise tailored to your current abilities and built gradually
- Graded exposure to activities you've been avoiding
- Strategies to work with flare-ups—reducing their frequency, intensity, and impact over time
- Sleep improvement strategies
- Stress management, breathing, and meditation techniques
- Pacing and energy management to avoid boom-bust cycles
- Goal setting and activity planning to reconnect with what matters
- Support with beliefs and fears that may be keeping you stuck
- Nutrition and lifestyle guidance that supports your body's capacity for change
- Return to valued activities and hobbies that give life meaning
- Building long-term resilience and self-management skills
Frequently Asked Questions
Take the First Step
Book a free 15-minute discovery call to discuss your condition and how I can help.
Book Free Discovery Call