Chronic Pain - What you need to know.
Chronic Pain That Will Not Settle? Here Is What Helps.
You have been living with persistent pain for months, or maybe years. Scans came back mostly clear, treatments have come and gone, and you are wondering if this is just your life now. Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons people come to pain physiotherapy in Sydney, and modern chronic pain management looks nothing like it did ten years ago.
What Chronic Pain Actually Is
Chronic pain (sometimes called persistent pain) is pain that lasts longer than 3 months, or beyond the expected healing time of an injury. Around 1 in 5 Australian adults live with chronic pain, whether that is chronic low back pain, chronic neck pain, chronic knee pain, nerve pain, headaches or fibromyalgia.
The old view was that chronic pain must mean ongoing tissue damage. Modern pain science has completely rewritten that story. Central sensitisation and changes in how the nervous system processes pain signals mean that pain can persist long after tissues have healed. That is not "in your head". It is very real biology, and it is treatable.
Common Symptoms of Chronic Pain
- Pain that has lasted more than 3 months
- Pain that flares up in response to stress, poor sleep or changes in mood
- Pain that spreads beyond the original injury site
- Increased sensitivity to touch, temperature or gentle movement
- Fatigue and poor sleep patterns
- Fear or avoidance of certain movements or activities
- A sense that you have been let down by treatments in the past
- Anxiety or low mood tied to the ongoing pain experience
- Loss of confidence in exercise, work or hobbies
What Drives Persistent Pain
- Central sensitisation, where the nervous system becomes overprotective
- Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels
- Poor sleep and disrupted sleep patterns
- Deconditioning from long term reduced activity
- Fear avoidance beliefs about movement causing further damage
- Untreated mood factors like anxiety and low mood
- An overreliance on rest and passive treatments only
- Previous unhelpful advice about scans, discs and structural findings
Book a pain physiotherapy assessment and walk out with a modern chronic pain management plan.
How PHYZFIT Approaches Chronic Pain Management
Our physio team at PHYZFIT (Julian De Rosa, Ari Moushis and Sam Nunan) uses a modern biopsychosocial approach to chronic pain management from your Bexley North physio and Marrickville physio clinics. That means we look at your body, your beliefs about pain, your sleep, your stress, your movement and your goals, and build a plan around all of it.
Pain Neuroscience Education
Understanding how chronic pain works in the nervous system is one of the most powerful tools we have.
Graded Exposure & Pacing
Graded exposure and pacing help you rebuild activity, exercise and function without flaring your pain.
Graded Exercise
Progressive strength, mobility and cardio work reduces central sensitisation and boosts function.
Sleep & Stress Support
Sleep, stress and mood directly influence pain. We coach practical strategies alongside your physio plan.
Team Care
We work alongside GPs, pain psychologists and specialists when a wider pain rehabilitation team is needed.
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What to Expect at Your First Appointment
Book in 60 Seconds
Book online or over the phone. Same day appointments available. No referral needed.
Your Pain Story
Your physio takes time to understand your pain history, past treatments and personal goals.
Your Plan
You leave with a personalised chronic pain management plan and a timeline you both agree on.
Ongoing Support
We adjust the plan every step of the way and coordinate with GPs or specialists when needed.
What You Should Not Do
- Assume the pain is only from tissue damage. Persistent pain is more about the nervous system than the site of pain.
- Chase scan after scan hoping to find the cause. Imaging often shows changes that do not match the pain.
- Rely on rest and passive treatments only. They rarely address chronic pain drivers.
- Avoid all movement out of fear of doing more damage. Graded exposure to movement is one of the best tools we have.
- Ignore sleep, stress and mood. These directly influence how much pain you feel.
- Give up because past treatments did not work. Modern pain physiotherapy looks very different to older approaches.
⚠️ When to seek urgent care
- New numbness, weakness or loss of bladder or bowel control
- Unexplained weight loss, fevers or night sweats alongside pain
- Severe pain following a fall, accident or recent surgery
- Thoughts of self harm linked to your ongoing pain (please contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or your GP straight away)
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready for Us to Help You With Your Pain?
Same day appointments available at Bexley North and Marrickville. No referral needed.
PHYZFIT Health and Rehab | Sydney chronic pain management, pain physio Sydney | Bexley North and Marrickville | Helping you rebuild trust in your body and live a life without limits.