Thanks for stopping by! This blog is about how pain science education, movement, nature, loving and being loved, mindfulness, effective communication, and being more creative have helped me to change my pain and how I think these things can help others, too.
I was a firefighter and fitness freak before an injury led to medical retirement and chronic pain issues. I put my life on hold for years, battling the pain, withdrawing from friends and family, losing my sense of self and sense of purpose. My life was pain. And the pain didn’t go way, despite my best efforts. Despite surgery and years of physical therapy. Despite alternative treatments and countless dollars, time, and tears spent.
And then I went back to school to earn my M.Sc. in human movement, with an emphasis in sport and exercise psychology, because I wanted to figure this pain thing out. I researched chronic pain and came across the work of Lorimer Moseley and David Butler, and it changed my life. I started to understand my pain differently, and I started to live my life differently.
So this blog is here to help empower patients, to show them how strong, resilient, adaptable, and incredible they are, to share with them my thoughts on what pain is and isn’t, and to show them how we can tap into the bioplastic nature of our being to change our pain, and our lives. There’s so much realistic hope out there, based on good information, and that’s pretty awesome.
This blog is also here to share insights with healthcare providers from a patient’s perspective, giving voice to things their patients may be experiencing but are unable to articulate, as well as giving them a forum to see what works from a patient’s perspective so they can maximize their time and effectiveness.
Both sides need to be a part of the conversation in order to find out best practices so we can gain real-world successes. Patients can no longer be passive recipients of care, we need to be active agents in changing our pain, with the support and guidance of knowledgeable and empathetic practitioners.