The Pain Habit

29/05/2026

Is Your Pain Really Constant?

Many people tell me:

"My pain is constant."

So I often ask:

"Does it change when you move?"

If the answer is yes, then something interesting appears.

The pain may be present...

But it isn't actually constant.

It varies.

Maybe it:
✔ Changes intensity

✔ Changes location

✔ Changes with movement

✔ Changes throughout the day

✔ Changes when you're distracted or relaxed

Why does that matter?

Because variation tells us the nervous system is capable of producing different experiences.

The pain is real.

But its behaviour may be more flexible than we first assumed.

Sometimes the most important step isn't finding an answer.

It's asking a better question.

Have you noticed your pain changing throughout the day?

21/05/2026

Why can pain stay even when nothing is wrong?

This is one of the most common and confusing questions in persistent pain.

You may have had scans.
You may have been reassured.
You may have been told there is no serious damage.

And yet the pain is still there.

That does not mean the pain is fake. Pain is always real.

But persistent pain is not always a sign of ongoing damage. Sometimes it is a sign that the nervous system has learned to stay protective, even when the body is safe.

In this blog, I explain why pain can continue after healing, why reassurance alone often isn’t enough, and how recovery can begin by helping the system feel safe again.

www.thepainhabit.com/blog/why-can-pain-stay-even-when-nothing-is-wrong

07/05/2026

Apparently this guy is a good option to sometimes listen to.

Mostly I think he talks a load of rubbish. 😂😂😂

But some stuff…..I know is good. 😉

🌟 SIRPA Practitioner Spotlight: Drew Coverdale
This week, we’re shining a light on Drew Coverdale, a SIRPA Practitioner and physiotherapist.

With 25 years of experience treating musculoskeletal conditions, Drew brings a deep understanding of persistent pain, not just from a physical perspective, but through the lens of how pain patterns can develop, become reinforced, and ultimately be changed.
His work focuses on helping people understand how and why persistent pain develops, and how to begin reversing the habits and protective patterns that may be keeping symptoms active.
Drew has worked across the NHS, private practice, and university teaching, and is currently involved in research with Teesside University exploring these approaches further.

He offers both in-person and online support, as well as free initial calls.
👉 Learn more about Drew and how he can help here:
https://www.sirpa.org/practitioner/drew-coverdale/

07/05/2026

🌟 SIRPA Practitioner Spotlight: Drew Coverdale
This week, we’re shining a light on Drew Coverdale, a SIRPA Practitioner and physiotherapist.

With 25 years of experience treating musculoskeletal conditions, Drew brings a deep understanding of persistent pain, not just from a physical perspective, but through the lens of how pain patterns can develop, become reinforced, and ultimately be changed.
His work focuses on helping people understand how and why persistent pain develops, and how to begin reversing the habits and protective patterns that may be keeping symptoms active.
Drew has worked across the NHS, private practice, and university teaching, and is currently involved in research with Teesside University exploring these approaches further.

He offers both in-person and online support, as well as free initial calls.
👉 Learn more about Drew and how he can help here:
https://www.sirpa.org/practitioner/drew-coverdale/

15/04/2026

The body doesn’t always communicate in words.

It often communicates in sensation.

Pain.
Tension.
Discomfort that seems to move or change.

That doesn’t mean something is going wrong.

Sometimes it means something hasn’t been fully processed yet.

And the body is finding a way to express it.

A small shift:

Instead of asking
“What’s wrong?”

Try asking
“What might this be pointing to?”

You don’t need a full answer.

Just noticing can be enough to begin with.

13/04/2026

Sometimes pain isn’t just about the body.

It can also reflect what’s been happening in the background of life.

Stress.
Responsibility.
Things we’ve been holding together for a while.

Not because anything is “wrong”…

But because the system has been under load.

And eventually, it asks for attention.

That doesn’t make the pain any less real.

But it can change how we begin to understand it.

—

I’ve written a short piece exploring this idea here:

A real case study exploring how grief and emotional stress can influence persistent back pain, even when structural findings like scoliosis are present.

10/04/2026

It’s so easy to be drawn toward structure.

To finally have something pointed out on a scan…
and feel that sense of “this explains it.”

And it does explain something.
But not always the pain.

Because if that structure has been there for years…
and the pain arrived much later —
we have to gently ask a different question.

What else was happening around that time?

Not to dismiss the body.
Not to deny what’s been found.

But to explore whether the pain might be connected to something else…
something the body has been carrying.

I saw this recently.

Long-standing scoliosis.
Pain that appeared much later.
A period of grief.
A lot of strength… holding everything together.

And when that was finally allowed to be felt —
when the tears came —
the pain went.

The structure stayed.
But the pain didn’t.

Sometimes the answer isn’t where we’ve been told to look.

Sometimes it’s in what we’ve been holding.





painreprocessing
neuroscienceofpain
somatichealing
emotionalhealth
griefandhealing
nervoussystem
physiotherapy
painhabit
healingjourney
mindbodymedicine
youarenotbroken

08/04/2026

A lady came in with ongoing back pain.

She’d had scans.
She’d been told about scoliosis.
She’d tried treatment.

And over time, the pain had started to take over more and more.

On paper, it made sense.

But as we talked a little more, another part of the story emerged.

Over the past year, she had lost her husband.
Quite suddenly.

And as she spoke, it became clear just how much she had been holding together…
quietly…
without really stopping.

At one point, I said:

“The scoliosis may be there…
but it might not be the reason this has become so intense.”

Something shifted.

Not because anything was “fixed”…
but because something was understood.

She later told me she cried most of the way home.

And since then, her back pain has gone.

—

This doesn’t mean pain is “just emotional.”
And it doesn’t mean this is how it works for everyone.

But it does raise an important question:

How often does pain reflect what the body is carrying — not just physically, but emotionally too?

💬 Have you ever noticed your symptoms change during a stressful or emotional time?

02/04/2026

Recovery from persistent pain isn’t just about fixing the body…
it’s about recognising patterns — and gently changing them.

That can feel confronting at first.

Because it can sound like:
“Did I cause this?”

But this isn’t about blame.
These patterns were never chosen consciously.
They were learned… for protection.

The shift happens here 👇
➡️ From unconscious reaction
➡️ To conscious awareness
➡️ To new responses

Your body is already adapting, healing, changing every day.

What often keeps pain going…
is the relationship we build with it:
• Fear
• Frustration
• “I’ll be okay when…”

Not because you’re doing anything wrong —
but because your system is trying to protect you.

And the moment you begin to see that…

You’re no longer stuck in the pattern.
You’re starting to change it.

No rush. Just awareness.






PainRelief
HealingJourney
MindBodyConnection
ChronicPainSupport
PainRecovery
SomaticHealing
NervousSystem
BrainAndBody
YouAreNotBroken
ThePainHabit

01/04/2026

Ever noticed how pain sometimes shows up when you finally stop?

Not when you’re busy.
Not when you’re distracted.
But when you sit down… and things go quiet.

I saw this pattern again recently with headaches and neck pain that didn’t quite follow a typical physical explanation.

It’s a reminder that symptoms don’t always relate to what we’re doing in the moment —
but sometimes to what our system has been holding onto over time.

If your symptoms don’t quite “add up,” this might offer a different way of looking at it.

You can read the short article here:

Why do headaches and neck pain often appear when you’re resting, not when you’re busy? This article explores the hidden patterns behind persistent pain and what your body might be trying to communicate.