Chronic low back pain
My endless back
and leg pain
Chronic means your pain has been present for more than 3 months most days of the week.
Why is it still painful?
Your pain may be 'mechanical', called nociceptive pain, where there is tissue damage. However, tissue damage mostly heals within 3 to 6 months after an injury (or surgery). Then your pain may be generated by different pain sources. It this point it may be unhelpful to be chasing after more scans and "damaged tissue" diagnoses, because the fault is no longer in the tissues but in your central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord.
This does not mean the pain is all in your mind.
Pain resulting from a 'fault' in the central nervous system is called central sensitisation.
(Google alert- when central sensitisation is chronic,
researchers are now calling this nociplastic pain.)
You may have a mix of nociceptive pain and central sensitisation. You may have feelings of anxiety, fear of re-injury and loss of confidence in your ability to move and function well.
Why is it still painful?
Your pain may be 'mechanical', called nociceptive pain, where there is tissue damage. However, tissue damage mostly heals within 3 to 6 months after an injury (or surgery). Then your pain may be generated by different pain sources. It this point it may be unhelpful to be chasing after more scans and "damaged tissue" diagnoses, because the fault is no longer in the tissues but in your central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord.
This does not mean the pain is all in your mind.
Pain resulting from a 'fault' in the central nervous system is called central sensitisation.
(Google alert- when central sensitisation is chronic,
researchers are now calling this nociplastic pain.)
You may have a mix of nociceptive pain and central sensitisation. You may have feelings of anxiety, fear of re-injury and loss of confidence in your ability to move and function well.
We can help
Dr. Jacqui Clark will spend time understanding your circumstances, your natural characteristics before you had your pain, your difficulties and realistic goals. She will assess your movement patterns and sensory-motor function. Discussion with you will involve understanding your own capacity and how to tailor rehab to suit you.
Often the common goal is to reduce the central sensitisation in the brain and spinal cord to reduce your pain and restore daily activities.
Rehab will involve strategies which address the central nervous system and sensory sensitivities.
Dr. Jacqui Clark will spend time understanding your circumstances, your natural characteristics before you had your pain, your difficulties and realistic goals. She will assess your movement patterns and sensory-motor function. Discussion with you will involve understanding your own capacity and how to tailor rehab to suit you.
Often the common goal is to reduce the central sensitisation in the brain and spinal cord to reduce your pain and restore daily activities.
Rehab will involve strategies which address the central nervous system and sensory sensitivities.
