10/25/2025
The Gaps in Pain Education: Why Many Doctors Aren’t Trained to Treat Certain Kinds of Pain
When most people experience pain, the first professional they think to see is their doctor. Yet what many don’t realize is that medical school training often doesn’t adequately prepare physicians to address the complexities of pain — particularly chronic, musculoskeletal, and movement-related pain.
Doctors are highly trained in acute and emergency care, pharmacology, and surgery. But when it comes to understanding and treating chronic pain or soft tissue dysfunction, their education is surprisingly limited. This gap in training often leaves patients stuck in cycles of prescriptions, injections, or referrals without real answers — because the root causes of pain aren’t being addressed.
A systematic review of pain medicine education found that medical schools worldwide often fail to provide enough hours or depth in pain-related training to meet patient needs (Elspeth E Shipton, 2018). In the U.S. and Canada, surveys reveal similar concerns — many graduating physicians report they feel underprepared to manage chronic pain effectively (Johns Hopkins Pain Curriculum Development Team, 2011).
The situation is even more striking in musculoskeletal medicine. A meta-analysis published in 2024 showed that medical students consistently receive very little instruction in musculoskeletal (MSK) medicine and rehabilitation, leaving them less confident in diagnosing or treating soft tissue and joint pain (Ying Jin, 2024). In one U.S. medical school, only 19% of students passed a basic exam on musculoskeletal knowledge (Thomas McQuillan BA, 2017). Another study found that 81.5% of primary care physicians rated their training in chronic pain as insufficient (John D. Loeser, 2017).
These findings help explain why so many people with chronic pain bounce from provider to provider, often with little relief. It’s not that doctors don’t care — it’s that their training doesn’t always equip them with the tools needed to treat certain forms of pain.
This is where complementary practices such as advanced manual therapy and supportive frequency-based technologies can help fill the gap. Approaches like RAPID NeuroFascial Reset are not simply about loosening muscles — they work by speaking directly to the nervous system.
Pain is, at its core, an output of the nervous system. When the body perceives a threat — whether from injury, poor movement patterns, or even long-term compensation — the nervous system can become hypersensitized. This heightened state amplifies pain signals, creating a cycle where the body “guards” movement and the patient feels increasingly restricted.
Manual therapies like RAPID interrupt that cycle. By using precise, sometimes intense stimulation, the technique forces the nervous system to pay attention. That intensity may feel “spicy” in the moment, but it is exactly what makes the reset possible. In just a few minutes, the nervous system is recalibrated, pain signals are quieted, and movement often improves immediately.
Pairing this kind of nervous system reset with supportive modalities such as Near Infrared Light (NIR) or Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy enhances the effect even further. NIR reduces oxidative stress and promotes cellular repair, while PEMF calms neurogenic inflammation and restores electrical balance at the cellular level. Together, these approaches don’t mask pain — they address the mechanisms behind it.
Patients who have struggled for years often find that a combination of manual therapy and frequency-based support provides breakthroughs where medication and rest alone have not. A few focused minutes of therapeutic intensity can translate into long-lasting relief, improved mobility, and a sense of freedom that many had nearly given up on.
Healthcare works best when it’s collaborative. Physicians remain essential for diagnostics and acute interventions. But manual therapists and frequency-based practitioners add tools that retrain the nervous system, restore movement, and break the chronic pain cycle — offering patients a more complete and effective path toward healing.
