What is Chronic Pain Syndrome
Hey! If you’ve found yourself reading this blog, you’re probably in pain. Having chronic pain takes a huge toll on the body and we hope you find the answers you need in this blog.
We are a team of chronic pain specialists in Brisbane, Queensland, who have helped COUNTLESS chronic pain sufferers to live pain free.
How do we achieve this?
We use a method called Functional Patterns which finds the root cause of why somebody is in chronic pain.
Now, let’s look at Chronic Pain Syndrome and some of the things you can do to help get out of chronic pain for good.
What Is A Syndrome?
(This Is Important To Know!)
A syndrome typically refers to a set of medical signs and symptoms that are correlated with each other and often associated with a particular disease or disorder, but the exact cause of which is not known. In essence, when doctors refer to something as a syndrome, they are recognising a pattern of characteristics or abnormalities that are present together, yet the underlying cause remains unidentified.
In other words, many other people experience the same set of symptoms but they don’t know why.
So, chronic pain syndrome essentially means ‘a set of common symptoms that occur with chronic pain,’
What Other Symptoms Occur With Chronic Pain
Chronic pain syndrome (CPS) is not just a prolonged period of pain but a complex condition that can arise from a variety of factors and can affect the body and mind. The symptoms can be both physical and psychological, and may include:
Persistent pain that lasts longer than six months, which may be constant or intermittent, and can occur anywhere in the body.
Fatigue, which can be a result of the constant pain, as well as the body's ongoing struggle to cope with it.
Sleep disturbances, such as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, often due to pain.
Withdrawal from activities and increased need to rest, often due to a decrease in physical function and increased pain.
Mood changes, including feelings of hopelessness, fear, depression, irritability, anxiety, and stress, as chronic pain can affect mental health.
Disability, which may result from the inability to perform daily tasks or work duties as before.
Weakened immune system, which can be a result of the stress of chronic pain.
Changes in appetite, which can be either a loss of appetite or an increased appetite, often associated with medications or depression.
Physical deconditioning, as chronic pain may lead to reduced levels of physical activity.
Dependency on medication, as those with CPS may need pain medication to manage their symptoms.
Problems with concentration, focus, and memory, often referred to as "brain fog," which can be a side effect of the pain or related medications.
Muscle tension, which is a common reaction to chronic pain.
Chronic pain syndrome can result from a variety of conditions, including, but not limited to, chronic back pain, arthritis,
After reading the definition of a syndrome, it is easy to see that these are simply a set of symptoms that occur as a flow-on from having persistent chronic pain.
So, it would seem that the root cause of CPS, or chronic pain syndrome, is chronic pain, right?
What if I told you that the root cause of all of these symptoms, including chronic pain, was actually poor biomechanics?
Why Poor Biomechanics Is The Root Cause Of Chronic Pain & CPS
There is a fantastic saying: ‘Form follows Function.’
This means that the function of an organism determines what form that it will take. Form has been determined by function since the dawn of time, and function has slowly shaped things into the forms they take on today.
What functions do Human Beings undertake?
As humans, our primary functions are breathing, standing, walking, running & throwing. This is not to say that your day consistent of all of these movements, but rather it highlights that your function in these fundamental movements will determine your form.
Now, you do not need to throw a ball to undergo throwing mechanics. And, some people haven’t run in 50+ years. However, your body goes through similar motions, based upon these fundamental motions, every. single. moment.
To simplify, imagine that you are walking incorrectly.
Imagine that with every single step you take, your left hip is dropping down towards the ground. That constant stretch above your hip will gradually affect the form of your body.
If you were to take a photo of the posture of somebody with a hip drop, you would be able to see the asymmetries that drop has caused in their posture.
Once again, function determining form.
How To Fix Chronic Pain & CPS Permanently - A CASE STUDY
Meet Brendon. A long-term chronic pain sufferer who ticked almost every box for chronic pain syndrome (CPS).
Brendon came to Functional Patterns Brisbane on a cocktail of medications. He had mood disorders, low appetite, immune issues, muscle weakness, fatigue, persistent pain, muscle tension, medication dependency, concentration issues and more!
If we were to deal with each and every one of his symptoms, it would have taken countless years and 10 different specialists from many different modalities. A psychiatrist, a physiotherapist, a chiropractor, a dietitian, a massage therapist, an immunologist, a psychologist, a pharmacist ect.
However, as Brendon began addressing the ROOT CAUSE of each and every one of these issues, he started to get better.
Let’s look at a before and after summary of what changed for Brendon while training with Functional Patterns:
Before:
chronic sciatic pain, headaches,
back and neck pain
Mood disorders
Medication dependency
anterior pelvic shift
No glute activation
Bloated belly
Poor scapular positioning
After:
Sciatic pain gone ✅
Back and neck pain gone ✅
No more headaches ✅
Improved joint stacking ✅
Glute activation ✅
Improved transverse abdominis function✅
Better scapular positioning ✅
Stable mood ✅
Brendon Says:
“In the 4 years before finding FP I had almost constant headaches, back, neck and sciatic pain. I was on a cocktail of medications for pain and medically diagnosed bipolar disorder. Since adopting FP protocols I have eliminated the pain and have been managing the bipolar symptoms without medication for the last 10 months. Thank you Max and the team at @fp_brisbane, thank you @naudiaguilar for the system that has given me a new body and a new life.”
The Protocols Brendon Followed
Brendon started with a gait analysis and postural analysis.
From here, we were able to identify many asymmetries, postural issues and movement pattern dysfunctions.
Brendons glutes were not working, his pelvis was out of alignment, his TVA (deep core muscles) were not working, his scapulars were not correctly positioned. The list goes on.
Brendons trainer, Max, spent the next year retraining Brendons biomechanics. The way Brendon was moving was continually adding fire to his postural and structural issues. Once these movement patterns began shifting, so did his posture and structure.
But how did this help Brendons CPS?
The reason Brendon had pain was because of his movement patterns. The reason Brendon had mood disorders and