Chronic pain exercise physiology in Five Dock
Pain that has lasted longer than three months behaves differently from a fresh injury, and it is treated differently. The first appointment is an hour.
Most people who ring about chronic pain have already had scans, seen several people, and been told either that nothing is wrong or that they will have to live with it. Neither is a plan.
Andrew Lai's particular interest is chronic pain. The approach is to work out what your nervous system has learned to protect, and then rebuild movement in a way it will accept, at a pace it will accept it. That is slower than most people expect at the start and faster than they expect over a few months.
What we actually do
None of this involves pushing through pain, and none of it starts with being told the pain is in your head.
Work out what you are avoiding
Almost everybody with long-term pain has movements they have stopped doing. Some of that is sensible and some of it is habit. Separating the two is most of the first appointment.
Start below the level that flares you
We find a starting point you can do without a bad day afterwards, even if it looks like very little. Starting there is what makes the next twelve weeks possible.
Build up in steps you can feel
Load goes up gradually and deliberately. You will know what the next step is and why, rather than being handed a program and left to guess.
Understand what the pain is telling you
Hurting and being harmed are not the same thing, and knowing where the line is changes what you are willing to do. This is a real part of the treatment, not a talk at the end.
What people come in with
Long-term low back pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, persistent shoulder pain, fibromyalgia and widespread pain, nerve pain, and pain that has not settled after surgery.
We also see people whose pain is well managed but whose fitness, strength or confidence has dropped away over the years it took. That is worth treating in its own right.
How long it takes
Longer than either of us would like. Most programs run over months rather than weeks, with appointments spread further apart as you take over more of it yourself. We will give you an honest estimate at the first appointment and revise it as we learn how you respond.
Questions we get asked
Will exercise make my pain worse?
I have had scans and been told nothing is wrong.
Can I claim this on Medicare?
Is this the same as physiotherapy?
Been told to live with it?
Book a free 15 minute phone call with an exercise physiologist. Describe what has been happening and we will tell you honestly whether we think we can help.
No referral needed · Plan managed and self managed NDIS welcome · Five Dock