When we talk about managing chronic pain, most people think of physio, medication, or exercise. But there's a powerful ingredient that often gets overlooked, human connection. Chronic pain doesn't just affect your body, it quietly shrinks your world, and isolation can make pain worse. This blog explores the evidence behind social connection as a first-line treatment for chronic pain, the biology of why it works, and practical, low-energy steps to start rebuilding relationship

Chronic pain doesn't just hurt physically, it affects your mental health too, and the connection runs both ways. Discover why treating body and mind together leads to better outcomes.

Rest and pain have a complicated relationship. Discover the science behind sleep, pacing, and breaking the "boom and bust" cycle, so rest works for you instead of against you.

If you've been living with chronic pain and haven't considered your pelvic floor, you're not alone. Most people don't realise how closely chronic pain and pelvic health are tied together. What is the pelvic floor, anyway? Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that sits like a hammock at the base of your pelvis. It supports your bladder, bowel and (in women) reproductive organs, helps control the flow of urine and faeces, and works with your deep abdominal muscles and diaph

Chronic pain is complex, but one of the most overlooked tools in managing it might be sitting on your dinner plate. Here's what the evidence says about food, inflammation, and pain.

Ever wondered why your body reacts the way it does under stress, even when you know you're safe? This blog explores how trauma and long-term stress live in the nervous system, not just the memory, and why pain is often the body's way of protecting you. Discover Somatic Experiencing, a body-based approach to trauma, and how understanding Polyvagal Theory can help you make sense of your own nervous system states. Learn how combining body-based and mind-based approaches can help

How chronic pain can act like an oversensitive alarm system, and how gentle, curious movement helps retrain it. Written by Medhavi Verma at Evolving Pain.

Have you ever been told that exercise and movement is generally good for you when you have pain, but been hesitant to start because exercise is also painful for you? Maybe you’ve heard that too much exercise is not good for you, but so is too little?

Why Sensory Processing and Interoception Matter in Chronic Pain When we talk about chronic pain, the focus often lands on tissues, scans, inflammation or biomechanics.

Pain Physiotherapy is a different approach to managing chronic pain compared to typical physiotherapy, osteopathy, or chiropractic clinics. We work with complex, chronic pain and illness presentations, which often require an in depth, holistic assessment to help formulate a diagnosis and identify the key contributors to persistent pain. Pain management is a challenging process, and knowing what to do or where to start can feel overwhelming. You may have tried many things incl

If you are experiencing good and bad days, it’s very likely to are experiencing a boom and bust cycle. For more information on boom/bust patterns, have a read: An activity diary can be helpful for setting up a snapshot of your week and to understand how things can influence your day. A way to help understand this is using “spoon theory”.Spoon theory is the idea that we have a certain number of spoons (energy or tolerance) in a day. Some days are more or less than others and t

An Occupational Therapy Group Pilot in 2024 Amy Gowland (Occupational Therapist) In collaboration with Addison, Harper, Payton and Beth (Group Members) January 2025 Strength in Shadows was a group that I created following recognition that there was something missing in working with clients aged between 14-25yrs. Whilst they were seeing me as their Occupational Therapist (OT) and had other members within their care team, a common theme that was arising during their consultatio

Hidden Disabilities - Sunflower Initiative The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Initiative works to raise awareness for those living with various invisible, hidden and chronic conditions and disabilities. Such aspires to provide individuals with a subtle way of being able to be identified in public spaces, which aims to reduce the various misunderstandings and judgements that can arise with many of these conditions. The use of the terms ‘hidden’ and ‘invisible’ disabilities ref

By Marie Pham Sleep is a common problem for people with persistent pain and having a good night sleep can help with improving mood, recovery, energy and overall pain. There are a number of reasons besides pain that can interfere with sleep including increased stress and anxiety, reduced sleep pressure during the diet, food and drink before bed, poor sleep hygiene, unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about sleep, and sleep environment. To help with improving sleep, it takes time to

The PVT has become an increasingly popular theory to explain bodily symptoms (such as ongoing pain, stress, fatigue) after psychological...

Pain coaching supports people to make changes to the way they’ve been approaching things in their everyday life

No pharmacy will ever be able to put together a Pain First Aid Kit perfectly designed for you. YOU are the best to make one for yourself!

There seems to be a diet for everything nowadays, so is there a chronic-pain diet?!

Rehabilitation is hard for everyone. It’s being reminded everyday that you are not where you were before or where you want to be. You might

We all know that this time of year can be filled with lots of joy and happiness, but it can be also filled with lots of stress, pain, guilt,