Pain
Reprocessing
Therapy
pain as protection
Pain isn’t always a direct measure of tissue damage. It is the body’s alarm system designed to protect us. In chronic pain, that alarm can stay switched on even when the body is safe and there is no longer harm (tissue damage).
Research shows this happens because the brain learns pain as a protective response.
Our brains are neuroplastic, meaning they has capacity to change. Just like our bodies can adapt to the environment (e.g. biceps grow if repeatedly loaded), our brains also have the ability to change, (e.g. synapses strengthening).
This means that it is possible to work with our brains to change learned patterns.
we are neuroplastic
Living with chronic pain is relentless. It can take away the enjoyment of life and make simple things feel impossible.
You are NOT alone. Approximately 28 million people in the UK live with chronic pain.
Over the past few decades, our understanding of persistent pain has changed significantly. Research now shows that ongoing pain isn’t just about what’s happening in the tissues, but also about how the brain responds to the environment, stress and threat over time. This does not imply that pain is ‘made up’, ALL pain is very real.
Understanding pain in this way can be empowering. When this research is translated into treatment, it opens the door to recovery by addressing these learned neural pathways in the brain to in effect unlearn pain. This is the approach that Pain Reprocessing Therapy is built on.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is an evidence-based approach that helps retrain the brain’s response to pain signals. PRT works by helping the brain reinterpret normal signals from the body as safe, interrupting the cycle of persistent pain.
PRT is guided by five core components:
Learning about 'neuroplastic pain' and why it is reversible
Building personalised evidence that pain is driven by brain-based patterns rather than tissue damage
Appraising pain sensations through a lens of safety
Addressing emotional stressors or threats that may be amplifying pain
Strengthening the awareness of neutral and /or positive sensations in the body
A high-quality research study validated Pain Reprocessing Therapy as the most effective current treatment for chronic pain.
In this study, those who received Pain Reprocessing Therapy experienced much greater pain relief than those who received standard care or a placebo treatment. Many people saw their pain reduce significantly, and a large number became pain-free or nearly pain-free by the end of treatment. These improvements were largely still present one year later, showing that the changes were long-lasting.
Click here to read the study.
A follow up of this study demonstrated that the PRT participants maintained significant reductions in pain intensity, with 55% reporting being nearly or completely pain-free at the 5-year mark.
FAQs
What is neuroplastic pain?
1
Neuroplastic pain is pain that your brain has learned to generate, even when there’s no ongoing injury or damage in your body. It happens because the nervous system is interpreting harmless body signals as danger, and keeps sounding the pain alarm over and over, even though nothing is actually being harmed anymore. It doesn’t matter if neuroplastic or structural pain, pain is pain… and it HURTS.
Is this for you?
2
This approach may be appropriate for you if you are living with persistent pain or other physical symptoms that haven’t resolved despite physical treatments such as physiotherapy, injections, medications, or surgery.
You may have been given a structural diagnosis (for example, disc bulges, degeneration, arthritis, or other findings on imaging). It’s important to know that these findings are very common (even in people without pain) and do not always explain ongoing symptoms.
You may not have been told your pain is neuroplastic but most people probably won’t have.
If you’re unsure whether this applies to you, you can review the in-depth assessment guide here: https://www.painreprocessingtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Appendix-Assessing-for-Neuroplastic-Pain.pdf
conditions commonly treated
3
Chronic back and neck pain
Chronic joint pain
Fibromyalgia
Complex regional pain syndrome
Headaches, dizziness, tinnitus
Pelvic pain
Medical input?
4
Chronic pain is often neuroplastic. However, there can be structural or pathological causes for pain. This is why it’s important necessary medical investigations have been undergone before commencing this kind of treatment.
My expertise in MSK assessment allows me to assess and determine if there are any concerning features of your presentation that require further investigation.
Begin your journey towards RECOVERY
Useful Resources
Other recommended learning resources:
Channel 4 documentary - Live Well with the Drug Free Doctor’. Section about chronic pain - https://www.channel4.com/programmes/live-well-with-the-drug-free-doctor
Pain Reprocessing Therapy Website - https://www.painreprocessingtherapy.com/
Book: ‘The Way Out’ Allan Gordon https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/441154/the-way-out-by-alan-gordon/9781785043109