Guiding You on Your Journey to Wellness

Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than 3 months, beyond the usual healing time for an injury or condition. But in many cases, chronic pain is not caused by ongoing tissue damage. Instead, it is caused by a change in how the nervous system processes information.This is known as neuroplastic pain, a form of pain that results from the nervous system becoming more sensitive and protective over time. The brain and spinal cord ssentially learn to keep producing pain, even when the body is no longer injured. This heightened sensitivity is called central sensitization (Woolf, 2011).

Neuroplastic pain is:

• Real

• Common

• Caused by a sensitized nervous system, not injury

• Reversible

Pain that persists after normal healing, spreads without injury, or worsens with stress or emotion often points to a nervous system issue, not a structural one. The good news? Because the brain and nervous system are plastic, they can change. With the right input, pain can be unlearned and regulated again (Moseley & Butler, 2017).

Chronic pain is one of the most common and costly health issues in Canada and around the world. It affects nearly 1 in 5 Canadians (Schopflocher et al., 2011) and is the leading cause of disability globally (GBD 2016; Vos et al., 2017).
The burden of chronic pain includes:

• Physical limitations and reduced activity

• Poor sleep and ongoing fatigue

• Anxiety, depression, or frustration

• Strain on work, relationships, and daily function

• Repeated, costly healthcare visits, often without answers

Economically, chronic pain costs the Canadian system $56–60 billion annually, more than cancer, heart disease, and HIV combined (Phillips, 2008; Lynch et al., 2011). Yet despite its impact, many patients receive inappropriate, ineffective and unnecessary treatment and
procedures.Our mission is to change that by addressing the root cause: the overactive, sensitized nervous
system.

Chronic pain doesn’t always begin with severe injury or trauma. In fact, many people develop persistent pain after minor injuries, surgery, stress, or illness. What matters most is not the severity of the original event, but how the nervous system responds.
Factors that can lead to the development of chronic pain include:

• Acute injury or repetitive strain (e.g. lifting, bending, whiplash)

• Surgery or immobilization

• Emotional or psychological stress

• Trauma or adverse life events (especially during childhood)

• Prolonged fear, anxiety, or uncertainty about pain or symptoms

• Poor sleep, fatigue, and system overload

• Viral infections or illnesses (e.g. post-viral fatigue, long COVID)

These events can trigger a protective response in the brain and spinal cord, leading to increased pain sensitivity, muscle guarding, and reduced pain thresholds, a process known as central sensitization (Woolf, 2011; Nijs et al., 2014).

In people with certain risk factors, like high stress, emotional trauma, anxiety, or low social support, the nervous system may stay in this protective mode longer, which sets the stage for chronic pain to develop (Linton & Shaw, 2011).

Pain becomes chronic not because your body is broken, but because your nervous system has learned to stay “on high alert.” This is known as central sensitization, and it's one of the most well-documented mechanisms behind persistent pain (Latremoliere & Woolf, 2009).
Once pain becomes chronic, the nervous system becomes more efficient at detecting and amplifying pain, even when tissues are healed. Signals that wouldn’t normally hurt, like movement, pressure, or even stress can trigger a pain response.
Common contributors to ongoing pain include:

• Fear of movement or re-injury (kinesiophobia)

• Catastrophic thinking or worry about damage

• Ongoing stress, burnout, or trauma

• Overprotective movement patterns (e.g. bracing, limping)

• Low sleep quality and poor recovery

• Lack of understanding or support from the healthcare system

These factors reinforce the brain’s danger signals and can strengthen pain pathways through a process called neuroplastic reinforcement. Essentially, your brain becomes better at producing pain the longer it practices it (Moseley, 2003; Apkarian et al., 2009).

The hopeful part? These pathways can also be weakened. Just as pain can be learned, it can be unlearned through education, exposure, regulation, and reconnection to safe movement and experience (Van Griensven et al., 2020).

Chronic pain can look very different from person to person, but there are some common patterns that often point to a sensitized nervous system, rather than ongoing damage.

You might be dealing with chronic or neuroplastic pain if you notice:

• Pain that moves around or spreads beyond the original area

• Pain that doesn’t match imaging findings (e.g. nothing “wrong” on the scan)

• Pain that flares with stress, fatigue, or emotional triggers

• Sensations like burning, numbness, or tingling without clear nerve damage

• Pain that improves with distraction, relaxation, or exercise

• Increased sensitivity to touch, temperature, sound, or pressure

• Co-occurring symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, or poor sleep

• A history of trauma, grief, or emotional suppression

These are signs that your pain may be maintained by central nervous system sensitization, rather than structural tissue damage (Nijs et al., 2014; Clauw, 2015; Yunus, 2007). In fact, many people with chronic pain show normal imaging results, but still experience intense and life-limiting symptoms.

This kind of pain is very real, it just requires a different approach than traditional injury-based rehab. That’s where we come in

We work with clients virtually across British Columbia, offering personalized 1-on-1 physiotherapy sessions over a secure video platform.
Our approach is designed specifically for people living with chronic or neuroplastic pain, and includes:

• Pain neuroscience education

• Nervous system regulation tools (e.g. breathwork, pacing, grounding)

• Graded movement and desensitization strategies

• Ongoing support, coaching, and collaboration

You don’t need to leave your house or commute to a clinic. All you need is a quiet space, a device with a camera, and the willingness to explore a modern, compassionate approach to healing

Yes, our sessions are covered by most extended health insurance plans in British Columbia. As long as your plan includes physiotherapy (which most do), you can submit your receipts for reimbursement. We provide all necessary documentation and can guide you through the process if you’re unsure about your plan’s specifics.

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