What Is Pain Management in Physiotherapy?
Pain management physiotherapy is a specialist approach designed for people living with ongoing or chronic pain. Unlike standard physiotherapy, which often focuses on treating an isolated injury, pain management takes a holistic, biopsychosocial view — looking at how pain affects not just your body, but also your thoughts, emotions, behaviour, and daily life.
Our goal is to identify and treat the underlying causes of your pain, reduce reliance on medication, and empower you with long-term strategies to manage and control your condition.
At our two dedicated pain management clinics in Norwich, we focus on improving function, confidence, and overall quality of life — not just masking pain.
How Physiotherapy Gets to the Root of Your Pain
The Diagnostic Process
We don’t just treat the area that hurts. Instead, we conduct a thorough, whole-body assessment — analysing your posture, movement patterns, medical history, and lifestyle — to pinpoint the true source of your pain. This detailed approach allows us to design a personalised treatment plan that creates real, lasting change.
Can Physiotherapy Help Chronic Pain?
Yes, physiotherapy can be highly effective for chronic pain.
When pain persists, the nervous system often becomes overly sensitive — like a faulty car alarm that goes off too easily. This means you may feel more pain from stimuli that shouldn’t normally hurt.
At Recover Physio, we use targeted exercise, patient education, and gentle desensitisation techniques to help “retrain” your nervous system, reduce sensitivity, and restore normal movement. By doing so, we can break the frustrating cycle of chronic pain and help you feel in control again.
A Multi-Faceted Approach to Pain Relief
To achieve the best possible outcomes, our pain management physiotherapists combine multiple proven treatment methods, tailored to your specific condition:
Manual Therapy: Hands-on techniques like joint mobilisation and soft tissue release to ease stiffness, improve mobility, and reduce pain.
Therapeutic Exercise: Custom exercise programmes designed to strengthen key muscles, improve flexibility, and support painful areas.
Education: We empower you with a deep understanding of your pain, including triggers, contributing factors, and self-management strategies you can use between sessions.
The 4 Ps: Key Principles of Effective Pain Management
We follow a comprehensive framework known as the 4 Ps to ensure we address every aspect of your pain experience:
- Physical: Restoring function and mobility through manual therapy and targeted exercise.
- Psychological: Tackling the emotional and mental impact of pain with education, goal-setting, and confidence-building.
- Pacing: Teaching you how to balance activity and rest to avoid the “boom-and-bust” cycle.
- Prevention: Equipping you with tools to manage your condition and reduce the risk of future flare-ups.
To measure progress, we focus on four key outcomes:
- Analgesia: A measurable reduction in pain.
- Activities: Improved ability to perform daily tasks.
- Adverse Effects: Reduced reliance on medication and fewer side effects.
- Affect: Better mood and overall emotional wellbeing.
Your Pain Management Journey with Recover Physio
Your journey starts with a comprehensive pain assessment and consultation. During this session, we’ll discuss your pain history in detail, carry out a thorough physical examination, and develop a tailored treatment plan based on your goals — whether that’s walking without pain, returning to a sport, or simply enjoying daily life again.
Every treatment plan is unique and built around you. Our physiotherapists are trained by world-leading experts and use an evidence-based approach to ensure we find and treat the root cause of your pain, not just the symptoms.
Speak to a Therapist
If you would like to discuss pain management and find out how we can help, you can speak to one of our friendly therapists. Just click below to request a callback from a member of our team.
