Hope and Healing for Chronic Pain

Living with chronic pain can be exhausting and discouraging. When pain has been your companion for months or even years, it’s easy to feel like you’ve “tried everything” and nothing works. At Bounceback Physical Therapy, I want you to know that there is hope – even if your pain is long-standing or complex. I take a very personalized, in-depth approach to treating chronic pain conditions, helping patients who thought they had run out of options finally find relief. Located in Hixson and serving Chattanooga, Soddy-Daisy, Red Bank, Lakesite, and surrounding communities, I have a special focus on chronic and unresolved pain cases. My philosophy is simple: no one should have to live in pain or give up the activities they love because of it. With the right approach, your body can heal or at least manage pain far better, even if past treatments haven’t helped. Let me help you rewrite your story from “pain all the time” to “finally feeling better.” Book your discovery call today – this could be the call that changes everything.


Common Chronic Pain Conditions I Treat

“Chronic pain” means pain that persists beyond the normal healing time – typically longer than 3-6 months. It can stem from an initial injury or appear without a clear cause. Here are some chronic conditions and scenarios I often help with:
  • Chronic Lower Back Pain: One of the most common chronic pain complaints. You might have a history of a herniated disc, sciatica, or nonspecific low back pain that flares up repeatedly. Perhaps you feel a constant ache or stiffness in your back that never fully went away after an injury years ago. I treat chronic back pain by looking at the whole picture – spine, hips, posture, muscle control – to find the driver of your pain. Even if you’ve had injections or surgery in the past, physical therapy can often provide further relief by addressing muscular and mechanical issues.


  • Chronic Neck Pain & Headaches: Maybe you’ve had whiplash from an old accident or years of desk work that led to degenerated discs in your neck. Now you experience daily neck stiffness and frequent headaches or migraines. Chronic neck pain can also cause tingling in the arms or constant tension between your shoulder blades. I work on gently restoring mobility in the neck and upper back, strengthening supporting muscles, and releasing trigger points that refer pain to your head. Many patients see a decrease in headache frequency and neck discomfort with my approach, even if they’ve suffered for a long time.


  • Fibromyalgia and Widespread Pain: Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread muscle pain, tender points, and often fatigue and poor sleep. It can make you feel achy all over. While there’s no “quick cure” for fibromyalgia, appropriate exercise, gentle manual therapy, and education can significantly improve symptoms. I help fibromyalgia sufferers with pacing activity (so you don’t overdo and crash), improving muscle flexibility, and techniques like deep breathing or relaxation exercises as needed. You’ll have a compassionate partner in me – I understand fibromyalgia is a real condition and I’ll work with you to increase your day-to-day function gradually.


  • Arthritis (Osteoarthritis) in Multiple Joints: Chronic pain isn’t always mysterious – sometimes it’s due to good old wear-and-tear arthritis in places like the knees, hips, or spine. If you have arthritis, you might feel constant joint pain, stiffness in the mornings, and reduced mobility. I treat arthritis by improving joint mechanics (through manual therapy), strengthening the muscles around the joint (to reduce stress on arthritic areas), and advising on low-impact activities to keep you moving. Many arthritis sufferers find that with my help, they can avoid or delay more invasive treatments and remain active with much less pain.


  • Complex or Multiple Pain Areas: Perhaps you have a combo of issues – for example, chronic back pain and chronic shoulder pain together. Or pain that seems to move around your body. This can be frustrating when seeing specialists, since one doctor looks at your back, another looks at your shoulder, but no one looks at you as a whole. At Bounceback PT, I excel in evaluating your entire body and connecting the dots. It’s not uncommon to find, for instance, that chronic shoulder and neck pain are linked, or that an old ankle injury is contributing to your persistent knee and back pain. By treating you holistically, I often make headway in situations where isolated treatments didn’t.


  • Post-Surgical Chronic Pain: Sometimes pain lingers even after surgeries that were supposed to fix the problem (e.g., a back fusion, a knee replacement, or a shoulder surgery). You may be months or years post-op and still dealing with daily pain or tightness. In these cases, physical therapy can be incredibly beneficial – I work on scar tissue mobility, retraining muscles that may not have recovered fully, and optimizing movement patterns to take stress off the operated area. I’ve had patients who felt stuck after surgery finally turn a corner with dedicated PT focused on their specific deficits.

In short, if you’ve got pain that won’t go away, I’m equipped to help. I know chronic pain isn’t “all in your head” – though the nervous system does play a role, meaning part of my work is calming the hypersensitive nerves and teaching your body that movement can be safe again.

My Chronic Pain Rehab Philosophy

Treating chronic pain is different from treating a fresh injury. It requires a blend of physical techniques and a big dose of patient education and empowerment. Here’s how I approach chronic pain:
  • Trust and Understanding: First, I listen. I want to hear your pain story – when it started, what you’ve tried, what makes it worse or better, and how it affects your life. Chronic pain often comes with emotional frustration or anxiety about activities. I acknowledge that and make sure you feel heard. Building trust is step one because I know you might be skeptical after many failed treatments. You’ll find a supportive, empathetic environment here.


  • Thorough Evaluation – Finding Missed Links: I conduct a top-to-bottom evaluation to look for any contributing factors that might have been overlooked. For example, chronic pain patients often have areas of stiffness or weakness far from the primary pain spot that, when addressed, can reduce overall pain. Maybe your chronic hip pain is eased by improving your foot mechanics. Or your ongoing back pain lessens after I mobilize your mid-back and stretch your hip flexors. I play detective, using my expertise in biomechanics to piece together a holistic understanding of your condition.


  • Manual Therapy and Gentle Movement: With chronic pain, your body might have guarded and tensed up over time. I use hands-on manual therapy to gently coax tight muscles and joints to relax and move better. This might include rhythmic movements (grade V mobilizations), soft tissue massage, or stretches – always tailored to what your body can handle. I often start slow: for instance, if you have fibromyalgia, I’ll begin with very gentle techniques to avoid flaring you up. As you progress, I can get more specific and assertive with manual therapy. Many chronic pain sufferers feel immediate relief just from skilled touch and the improved circulation/relaxation it brings. Over multiple sessions, this can restore a lot of lost mobility.


  • Targeted Exercise – Restore Confidence in Movement: Chronic pain often leads to fear of movement (kinesiophobia) – understandable if moving has hurt for so long. A huge part of my strategy is designing an exercise program that rebuilds your confidence and reconditions your body safely. I might start with simple range-of-motion exercises or basic core activations. As you improve, I’ll add strengthening or more dynamic moves. The key is graded exposure: gradually increasing what you do, in a controlled way, showing your nervous system that it’s okay and safe. If you haven’t bent forward in months due to back pain fear, I’ll gently work on that motion, little by little, often finding that you can move more than you thought without pain. This process can be incredibly liberating – patients often say, “I can’t believe I’m doing [activity] again!” once they break through that barrier.


  • Pain Science Education: I’ll teach you about how chronic pain works in the body – how nerves can become sensitized, and how we can “turn down the volume” on pain. Understanding that hurt ≠ harm (i.e., pain doesn’t always mean you’re causing damage) can be empowering. I also discuss strategies for pain management: the importance of consistent activity versus boom-and-bust cycles, relaxation techniques, posture adjustments, etc. If stress or poor sleep are amplifying your pain, I’ll talk about ways to improve those (since things like better sleep hygiene or mindful breathing can positively impact pain levels). Essentially, I give you tools to manage your pain beyond just the treatment room.


  • Multidisciplinary Coordination: If needed, I’m happy to coordinate with other healthcare providers. Chronic pain sometimes requires a team – maybe you have a pain management doctor, or you’re seeing a counselor to cope with the emotional aspect. I fully support a comprehensive approach. My role is the physical rehabilitation piece, but I’ll communicate and align with any other treatments you’re undergoing so that everything works in harmony. For example, if your physician is weaning you off certain medications as you progress in PT, I’ll make sure my plan supports that transition. Or if you’ve had imaging done, I’ll interpret what it means functionally for you. I want you to feel like all your providers are on the same page toward the shared goal of you feeling better.

Above all, I practice patience and celebrate progress – no matter how small. With chronic pain, improvement can be a journey of weeks or months, but each milestone (like sleeping through the night, or walking 10 minutes longer, or reducing pain meds) is a victory. I’m by your side for the long haul and truly invested in seeing you regain quality of life.

Real Relief after Years of Pain – A Success Story

If you need proof that things can change even after a long time, listen to Haley’s experience:
“In just one visit the pain I’d been living with for over a decade was gone.” – Haley F., found relief after 10 years of chronic pain

Haley had endured 10 years of daily pain and had tried many avenues for relief. When she came to Bounceback PT, I took that fresh approach – one-on-one, thorough, and root-cause focused. The result? She felt a dramatic change even after the first session. That’s not a typo – one visit and a decade of pain was virtually gone. Now, every case is different, and not everyone will have such an immediate response, but Haley’s story shows what’s possible. Sometimes one precise manual technique or the right exercise can “unlock” a chronic issue that no one realized how to fix before.


I’ve helped others dramatically improve their chronic pain as well – from the runner who struggled for 7 years finally getting answers, to the client with 5+ years of back pain discovering it was due to foot mechanics (and becoming pain-free once I addressed it). These aren’t miracles; they’re the product of a knowledgeable, personalized approach and your body’s amazing ability to heal and adapt when given the chance.


You’ve suffered long enough. It’s time for a new chapter – one with less pain. Book your discovery call today! There’s no obligation and nothing to lose by talking to me, and potentially a whole lot to regain – freedom of movement, better sleep, a happier mood, and the ability to do the things you care about. From my Hixson clinic, I welcome chronic pain sufferers from all over Chattanooga and neighboring areas. I truly consider it my mission to help those who feel like “no one has figured me out yet.” When you become my patient, you’re not just a number – you’re a person I will work tirelessly with to finally get you the relief you deserve. Let’s break the cycle of pain together and help you bounce back to living your life to the fullest.