Why Chronic Pain Is A Pain To Resolve!

I love surprising and delighting my 1:1 clients with how quickly they can reset their body and mindset, even if they've been struggling for months with chronic pain and seen other health professionals.

This week I've helped 2 clients make transformational breakthroughs in just 1 or 2 coaching sessions, even after struggling with pain for years and being treated by other health practitioners.

None of their amazing changes have required manipulations, painful stretches or fancy equipment.

The key is understanding that chronic pain doesn't just involve the musculoskeletal system, which means physical treatment methods like physio, chiropractor and massage can get you so far but not all the way.

There are many factors that contribute to pain persisting but the flight control centre of the body and it's messenger system, ie. the brain and nervous system, are usually involved in some way.                        

This is your path out of pain!

The Difference Between Acute and Chronic Pain

1. Acute Pain = An immediate response to a potentially harmful sensation to prevent you getting damaged. For example, you pick up a hot plate. your brain tells you almost instantly to drop that plate before you burn your hand. As soon as you do, that first sharp pain subsides.
2. Chronic Pain = Pain that lasts for longer than 3 to 6 months, and is no longer an accurate indicator of physical harm.

How are these 2 types of pain different, and why does acute pain go away quickly but chronic pain doesn't?

• Acute pain is the result of a sensation that goes above a certain threshold, triggering the brain to interpret it as potentially damaging and painful. A stress response is initiated involving the sympathetic nervous system with an almost instant release of adrenaline and noradrenaline to provoke quick action.
• Chronic pain can be a learned response to repeated actions and thoughts - what the brain does often, it does well. Unlearning these unhelpful neural pathways is the key to finding freedom from long-term pain

How Does This Work In Real Life?

Every experience you meet in your life is felt by your body - happiness, sadness, grief, love, fear and excitement.

They're processed by your brain and stored as memories for future reference. You begin to learn coping strategies to manage these situations. 

For example, as a teenager you were pushed to study hard for exam success. As an adult this behaviour manifests as staying late at work, saying yes to more projects that you can realistically manage and not being able to switch off easily.

All this constant physical and emotional stress keeps you stuck in "fight of flight". Your ever wired nervous system tells your back muscles to stay tense and be ready to take action. The result is chronic lower back pain, tight hamstrings, achy shoulders, a sore neck and daily headaches.

The more times a symptom is triggered, the more proficient your brain becomes at activating that symptom over and over again, even if there isn't a physical reason any more.

Once pain has become a learned, habitual response, it's chronic and resolving it has moved beyond treating just the physical symptoms.

How I Help My Clients Break The Cycle of Chronic Pain 

Take a peek behind the scenes of a 1:1 coaching session with me.....

If you haven't attended a class or workshop with me, I ask all potential clients to complete an application form. This is to help me see how I can best support you - if I don't think I'm going to be the best coach for you I have a wide network of health and fitness professionals that I can refer you to.

Then we'll meet up for an initial consultation (free of charge to you), where I can now start to learn more about the pain or injury you want to work on, it's origins and your desired results from 1:1 coaching. You can ask me about my philosophy, methods and the various coaching options I have available.

Yes, I absolutely vet my clients - this is ethical coaching and ensures that we enjoy working together to achieve amazing outcomes. 

If we both agree that 1:1 coaching is the way forwards, then the formalities are completed - this varies according to the chosen option.

Once that's all out of the way the fun begins!

Say you've decided that a one-off Unlock Your Body Breakthrough session is the right option for you - this is ideal for specific injury issues or for someone who's been able to make some progress with conventional treatments but needs help to get to their goal.

I'll ask you to stand as naturally as possible. I may also ask you to walk.

This is to help me understand what your body is saying - I believe that your body holds the answers if only we can decipher what it's trying to tell us.

Things that are going through my head as I quietly observe you include:

• "Do you look balanced and symmetrical?"
• "Does your body look happy and relaxed?"
• "Does any part of your body look unhappy and tense?"
• "How do you use your body as you move?"
• "Is any part of your body doing something different to the rest of you?"

Does what I'm thinking surprise you? I don't do formal posture, gait or muscle tests. 

I may put hands on (with permission, of course) and feel the tone of certain muscles to confirm visuals. But I'm not a bodyworker (even though I used to be an animal physio and sports massage therapist!).

My methods blend science with intuition and a dash of educated guesswork. This now gives me a starting place.

I generally will introduce the exercise of Arch and Flatten to centre the pelvis and release the muscles at the back and front of the body. This is a basic that we all need to master for efficient, relaxed, pain-free movement.

I may also rebalance your feet, and possibly realign your ankle, knee and hip joints.

Why feet and pelvis?

Feet = The foundations of the body

Pelvis = The epicentre of the body; Master controller of all load management and movement in the body.

Once these are rebalanced, the picture often becomes much clearer.

For some clients, this is all they need for their body to reorganise itself out of pain - yes, it can really be that simple!

Other clients may suddenly notice different parts of their body talking to them - no longer silenced by the original painful symptom, they can now signal their discomfort.

Now it becomes obvious that the pain the client was trying to fix without lasting success was actually a compensation, and not the root cause. Because the actual driver of the injury wasn't being addressed, the pain kept coming back despite repeat treatments.

This is a situation that drives many clients to ask me for help.

What other exercises we'll dive into during the session will depend on what you tell me as I ask you questions during each movement exploration.

The client is always an active participant - this is where my methods differ from many conventional treatments where you lie there and have stuff done to you, like an injection, manipulation or massage.

The questions I ask invite self-exploration, so you gain breakthrough insights and a deeper awareness of how your body is functioning.

Awareness opens the door to creating change and self-healing.

WAYS TO WORK WITH ME TO RELIEVE PAIN & PREVENT INJURY

If you're ready to find lasting relief from your pain, I have a variety of options, that you can choose from:

1) Pain Relief and Relaxation Techniques for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Workshop

Next date: Sunday 17th November, 1.15pm to 2.45pm (only 7x spaces). **Reserve your place HERE**

Angmering Village Hall  (The Kings Suite)

A friendly and inclusive small group workshop where you'll discover the factors that cause fibromyalgia symptoms, why chronic pain is so hard to resolve even if you've tried the usual treatments, and how to find lasting relief from both conditions. We'll openly discuss the latest research into both conditions and how the findings can help you find relief from your symptoms.

The session will be a blend of informal group discussion and a restorative movement session, where you'll practice gentle exercises that re-programme the nervous system to release tense muscles, reduce stiffness and find new ways of moving without pain. 

After the workshop, you'll have lifetime access to a simple home programme to relieve pain in just 10 minutes a day. 

Click HERE to read all the details and how to book your place.

2) Unlock Your Body breakthrough session

This is a single powerful 1:1 session designed to help you find the root drivers 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 understanding of what's triggering pain in your body, and a clear action plan to get lasting relief. 

I have a small number of Unlock Your Body breakthrough slots open for October and November, as well as very limited availability for 3 or 6 month 1:1 coaching packages.

Apply HERE  and I'll be in touch to arrange an initial complementary consultation to discuss which option will be a good fit for you. 1:1 coaching with me starts from £40.

3) Grab my free E-guide today "How to Get Relief From Back Pain and Muscle Tension in just 10 mins a Day". This informative guide introduces the 3x universal stress responses that lead to muscles getting stuck in contraction and locking you in chronic pain. There's 2x 10 mins video tutorials showing you how to effectively release muscle tension from the front and back of your body in the comfort of your home without expensive equipment or painful stretches. Download for instant access HERE

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 the foundational principles of 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 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.