Definition

Chronic pain is defined as pain of 3 months duration or longer. It does not have to be constant, just persistent, for it to cause real changes to the brain, sensitizing someone to pain. This sensitization is the brain's way of being efficient. If you "train" it on pain signals, it's going to get better at feeling pain!

The goal of PT with Dr. Riley is to help these patients understand that process and to overcome it.

Tried Everything Else?

A common story Dr. Riley hears is a patient who has tried everything for their pain - pharmaceuticals, pain programs, alternative medicines, maybe even PT a few times. Something that consistently seems to be missed among these patients is addressing their core understanding of their pain and its associations with movement. Dr. Riley works with that understanding in mind to help empower his patients to take control of their pain.

Deep Dive

Dr. Riley will do a deep dive with every patient to figure out not only their physical aches and pains, but following the biopsychosocial model of PT, he also figures out where personal perceptions on pain play into this as well as any environmental or social factors that could be contributing to someone's pain. In essence, Dr. Riley treats the whole person, not just a painful body part!

Mindfulness

What a big buzzword mindfulness has become. Even still, it's one of the biggest tools Dr. Riley uses with his patients to help them better understand their pain. The difference Dr. Riley finds is that the combination of mindfulness with exercise and movement is what he uses to help his patients out of chronic pain so they can return to their normal life.

Does it have to be a complex condition?

Chronic pain does not have to be a associated complex condition with a big name like fibromyalgia, Ehler's Danlos, or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). While Dr. Riley is happy to treat those with complex medical histories as well, he spans the spectrum of pain and loves to treat those who have just been in pain for a long time, regardless of the history behind it.

Breathwork

Breathwork is a powerful tool in the arsenal of combating chronic pain, and it's one Dr. Riley will use frequently with patients to help them pace their breathing with their movement to help build more calming, positive associations with movement so that the brain doesn't feel the need to keep using those pain pathways for every movement.