Pain neuroscience-informed care for persistent pain

Do you have pain no one seems to have an answer for? The pain should be gone, but it’s still affecting your daily life? Or you’ve been given a diagnosis of CRPS, fibromyalgia, persistent pain or phantom limb pain and you’re not sure what to do now?

The latest in pain neuroscience combined with the power of touch

Kaspara has trained with the Neuro Orthopeadic Institute (Australia), to combine hand-on treatment with a contemporary understanding of persistent pain. Whether pain continues longer than expected after an injury, it comes out of the blue, or takes over the whole body… It can take over your life. Chasing the answer in the muscles and bones becomes a never ending puzzle, because that’s not solely where pain comes from. The issue has become the pain system itself, sounding the alarm bell when it doesn’t need to… and pain neuroscience-informed practice is all about retraining this system so it quiets down.

Modalities used

Kaspara’s approach is based on the latest of pain science according to research, dubbed “New school contemporary pain science“. This is based on the biopsychosocial model of pain, and the understanding that pain is an experience influenced by a multitude of external and internal factors unique to each individual. In the last 20 years, pain science research has made incredible progress, and has resulted in the emergence and refinement of multiple modalities which have become some of the most promising evidence-based interventions for persistent pain.

These modalities include Graded Motor Imagery (GMI), Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE), and sensory acuity training. Essentially these could be summed up as ways to train the brain. These methods are combined with sensorimotor retraining (broader term for fine-tuning the way the brain and the body talk to each other) and manual treatment (this is where some of the osteopathic hands-on treatment will come in) for optimal effectiveness. Together all those approaches aim to re-calibrate the alarm system that causes the pain experience.

Research also shows that multidisciplinary practice results in better outcomes. Collaboration with other practitioners (psychologist, naturopath, etc) may also be part of your multidisciplinary care plan.

With this approach, we can give you the best chance to increase your freedom of movement and go back to living life.

Persistent pain consultations require referral from a GP or a specialist

Email referrals: info@kcosteopathy.com

The referral criteria are:

Required:

  • Pain persisting > 3 months

  • Red flags/musculoskeletal causes have been ruled out as a primary cause

  • Must be motivated to take an active role in recovery

AND at least one of the following:

  • Pain has not responded fully to first line musculoskeletal treatment

  • Sensory disturbances (eg. allodynia, hyper/hypoesthesia, paraesthesia) that cannot be explained by a primary neurological disorder

  • Signs of cortical reorganization (sense of disembodiment, altered body schema or disrupted proprioceptive sense, two-point discrimination changes)

  • Diagnosis of CRPS

  • Diagnosis of Phantom limb pain

NOTE: In conditions where fatigue or autonomic dysfunction are the key cause of disability rather than localized pain, interdisciplinary interventions are best suited and the effect of treatment here alone may be limited. If you fit into this category, I can support you and work with other practitioners on a management plan together.

  • For example, Fibromyalgia, EDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME, Long Covid, POTS, Functional Neurological Disorder

Talk to your GP if you think you might fit these criteria. If you are not sure whether you need to book for a standard osteopathic consult or not, please give the clinic a call.