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Open Mon-Sat · (03) 9859 5059 · BOOK online OR call Reception
Open Mon-Sat · (03) 9859 5059 · BOOK online OR call Reception

Chronic Pain Patterns: How we approach it

Posture | Scoliosis | Balwyn North Osteopath

The body can be adapting for the effects of an injury long after the tissue has completely healed, causing chronic pain patterns. In fact, we see this with almost all our chronic pain patients.
People often accept living with chronic pain because an MRI scan or X-ray has indicated structural abnormalities, or funnily enough they show no changes so everyone says there is nothing wrong with you.  The important thing is, are you compensating and if so why and how?

Adaptions often occurs as a threat response. If something is causing you pain, your body will subconsciously do everything possible to get you out of that pain, including changing movement patterns to avoid an area:

  • bend away from it
  • hitch up to protect it
  • turn towards it or away depending on the feel in your body
  • turn out a hip
  • slouch forwards
  • anything is possible really

This can lead to some areas working more, and others less, areas stretching or contracting more then others.

These postures done every day eventually become your norm, or your body’s perception of normal. It’s simply adapting to make your body more efficient for the time being by avoidance. However, making one habit more efficient can lead to other tasks becoming more strenuous.

How we might help chronic pain patterns.

We observe your walking pattern known as your “Gait cycle”, break it down into manageable sizes to decipher your adopted posture, your unique “right-now” pattern.

Through a sequence of movements in the gait cycle, we explore where the body feels comfortable from previous injury. The brain automatically learns new movement if it is more efficient, it wants to in fact. It usually feels easier than the old movement, often instantly.

Ironically this is how you got to the adaptive pattern as well.  You tried to avoid a position due to pain or discomfort/stiffness; it felt easier to modify your movement so the brain adopted it. It just never let it go when you had gotten better.  Our work is to undo that adaptive pattern and replace it with something more fluent.

Call Reception on 9859 5059 or use the button below to book an AiM appointment.

Our clients have been able to explore why their pain existed and experience movement to free their compensation postures. 

This process can be liberating.  It not only justifies your painful experience, it empowers you to be a major part of your success while we navigate the way to balancing your body.