Chronic pain references pain that has lasted 3-6 months or longer. The causes of chronic pain continue to grow in number. Some examples of what someone with chronic pain may experience, but are not limited to are listed below:
- You receive treatments such as massage, physical therapy, or chiropractic; you experience relief for a few days; but the pain pattern returns within a week
- You feel like you need to stretch, foam roll, or perform other types of self-care routinely or else your muscles will feel extremely tight and/or painful
- You stretch weekly or daily, and the stretches are uncomfortable or painful, but your range of motion does not seem to improve
- During massages or other treatments (including self-care), you feel like there are rocks or pebbles underneath your skin; the texture of the muscles seems “gritty” in nature
- You have seen multiple providers (medical, chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, and/or specialists), but nobody has been able to identify a specific cause of your pain and/or tightness
- You have received a recommendation for surgery despite not having a true understanding of your pain
- You have “tried everything,” and you are feeling hopeless