Chronic pain physiotherapy — for pain that won’t go away.

• “It comes and goes, but it never really goes away.”
• “I’ve had this for years now. Maybe it’s my posture?”
• “Every physio I see gives me the same exercises. Nothing actually changes.”

If any of that lands, you’re in the right place.

What chronic pain actually is

Pain that’s hung around for more than three months — back, neck, shoulder, knee, hip, wherever — has a different character to a fresh injury. Sometimes it started with a clear event. Sometimes it just crept in. Either way, the pain has often outlasted whatever caused it. The tissue may have healed; the pain pattern hasn’t.

That’s why “rest and it’ll settle” stops working. And it’s why generic advice —try to sit straight, do these stretches, lose some weight— usually doesn’t change anything either.

Chronic pain needs a different approach. Not more of the same, harder.

Why most physio doesn’t resolve chronic pain

Most clinics treat chronic pain the same way they treat acute pain: assessment, education, exercise sheet, follow-up in two weeks.

For someone who’s been hurting for two years, that approach has already failed — usually multiple times. You don’t need another printout. You need someone to actually get to the structures that have been tight, restricted, or sensitised for months.

That’s hands-on work. Manual therapy, dry needling, soft tissue release, joint mobilisation. Physically restoring movement and reducing the tissue load that’s keeping the pain pattern alive.

Exercise still has a role — but as homework, not as the appointment. What happens in the room with you should actually change how you feel by the time you walk out.

How I treat chronic pain differently

• Hands-on first. Every session involves manual therapy, not just talk and exercise prescription.
• Looking past where it hurts. Chronic pain rarely lives only at the painful spot. The cause is often somewhere else — and that’s where the work needs to happen.
• Time to actually treat. One-on-one, no rushing between rooms.
• Honest about what I can and can’t do. Most chronic pain responds well to this approach. Some doesn’t. I’ll tell you within the first 2–3 sessions whether you’re heading the right way.

What to expect

First session (60 minutes):

• Conversation about your pain story — what it does, when it started, what’s been tried
• Hands-on assessment to find the actual drivers (often not where the pain is)
• Treatment in the same session — you don’t leave without something being done
• A short, useful homework plan — not a wall of exercises

Follow-ups:Most people start to feel a difference within 2–3 sessions. Some take longer. The honest answer on timeline depends on how long you’ve had it and what’s driving it — but you should know whether the approach is working within the first month.

Realistic outcome:For most of my chronic pain patients, the goal is sustained pain relief — and that’s what most achieve. Some get full resolution. A smaller group get significant improvement that they then maintain with the right ongoing strategy. I’ll be straight with you about what’s likely from your first session.