Chronic pain can occur in any part of the body, ranging from big toe soreness to headaches.

The most common chronic pain ailments are chronic back and neck pain. Chronic pain was once treated with prescription anti-inflammatory and narcotic medication, but as the opioid epidemic grew, we have learned this is no longer the best treatment. Over time, chronic pain causes the body to become fearful and hesitant to move.

Here are five chronic pain strategies that we use as physical therapists to help break the pain cycle and return you to moving once again.

Chronic pain neuroscience education means spending one-on-one time with you, the patient, to explain what chronic pain is, why you are in pain and what happens when chronic pain persists, and then offering treatment strategies. There is high-quality evidence which states PNE helps us better understand pain mechanisms, resulting in reduced fear about movement and reduced pain when paired with physical therapy.