When back or neck pain just won’t go away
Pain Reprocessing Therapy for Chronic Back and Neck Pain
Living with chronic back pain or chronic neck pain can affect every part of life. It can change how you move, how you exercise, how you sleep, and how much confidence you have in your body. For many people, persistent pain is not just uncomfortable - it becomes exhausting, frustrating, and limiting.
I understand that from personal experience.
After a car accident, I was left with chronic right-sided neck pain and back pain. Like many people living with long-term pain, I spent years searching for answers. I tried physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, osteopathy, and acupuncture, hoping each new approach would finally get rid of the pain.
But after 15 years, I was still dealing with the pain. I became increasingly frustrated and unhappy with my situation. Then a fellow Personal Trainer mentioned Alan Gordan (the founder of Pain Reprocessing Therapy). I read his book and suddenly everything fell into place.
It gave me a completely different way of understanding what might be keeping my pain going. As I began using Pain Reprocessing Therapy myself, I started to notice a real difference.
It became evident that there wasn’t that much structurally wrong with my body, but that my brain just didn’t know how to let go of those pain signals..
I decided to train in PRT so I could incorporate it into my personal training and help clients living with persistent back pain and persistent neck pain get on with their lives again.
What Is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?
Pain Reprocessing Therapy is an approach designed to help people with chronic pain and persistent pain by changing the way the brain and nervous system interpret pain signals.
This does not mean the pain is imaginary or “all in your head.”
It means the pain is real, but in some cases - especially when it has been present for months or years - it may be maintained by an overprotective nervous system rather than ongoing injury or damage alone.
For people with chronic back pain and chronic neck pain, this can be an important shift in understanding. Pain Reprocessing Therapy helps people learn why pain may persist, reduce fear around it, and respond to it in a way that helps calm the nervous system.
One of the biggest changes for me came when I started to understand that persistent neck pain and persistent back pain are not always only about muscles, joints, posture, or alignment. The brain and nervous system can also play a major role in chronic pain.
When I discovered Pain Reprocessing Therapy, it helped me see my pain through a new lens. As I began using it, I noticed a difference not only in the pain itself, but also in how much fear and frustration I carried around it.
That changed everything.
It also made me realise how many people are still stuck in the same cycle I had been in for years - trying treatment after treatment, feeling disheartened, and quietly losing hope.
How Pain Reprocessing Therapy Can Help Chronic Back Pain and Chronic Neck Pain
People living with chronic back pain and chronic neck pain often become trapped in a cycle of pain, fear, tension, and avoidance. They may start to brace through movement, avoid certain activities, or constantly monitor symptoms.
People who experience long term pain can also have experienced trauma during childhood or have high anxiety generally.
Over time, that can keep the nervous system on high alert.
This is where Pain Reprocessing Therapy can help.
PRT aims to support people in:
understanding the role of the brain and nervous system in persistent pain
reducing fear around pain and movement
changing the meaning they attach to symptoms
rebuilding safety and confidence in the body
returning to activity with more ease and less fear
For many people, this can be the beginning of chronic pain recovery.
Why I Decided to Train in Pain Reprocessing Therapy
As a personal trainer, I have always wanted to help people move well, feel stronger, and enjoy life more fully. But when working with clients who had long-term back pain or long-term neck pain, I could see that exercise alone was not always the whole answer.
Sometimes the biggest barrier was not just stiffness or weakness.
Sometimes it was fear of movement, the expectation of pain, or a nervous system that had become stuck in protection mode.
Training in Pain Reprocessing Therapy gave me another way to support those clients. I now incorporate PRT into my personal training so I can help people with chronic pain, especially chronic back pain and chronic neck pain, feel safer in their bodies and more confident in daily life.
How I Use Pain Reprocessing Therapy With Clients
When I work with clients living with persistent back pain or persistent neck pain, the goal is not to dismiss their pain or tell them it is “all in the mind.”
The goal is to help them understand pain in a more empowering way.
That may involve:
learning how chronic pain can continue even after tissue healing
reducing fear around specific movements or sensations
helping the nervous system feel safer
building confidence through movement
changing the response to flare-ups
supporting a return to normal life with less fear and limitation
I use Pain Reprocessing Therapy alongside personal training because movement is still important - but it needs to feel safe, supported, and appropriate for the person in front of me.
Chronic Pain Recovery Is About More Than Pain Relief
When people search for back pain treatment or neck pain treatment, they are often looking for pain relief. That makes sense.
They want to stop organising their whole life around pain.
They want to:
exercise without constant fear
sit and drive more comfortably
move more freely
feel less anxious about flare-ups
trust their body again
That is why I believe Pain Reprocessing Therapy for chronic pain can be so valuable. It offers a different way forward for people who have tried many treatments and still feel stuck.
For me, Pain Reprocessing Therapy was a turning point in my own journey with chronic right-sided neck and back pain. It made enough of a difference that I chose to train in it and incorporate it into my work, so I could help others do the same.
That is the approach I now use both personally and professionally - and it is one I believe can help many people get on with their lives again.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?
Pain Reprocessing Therapy is an approach used to help people with chronic or persistent pain by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain signals. It aims to reduce fear, calm the nervous system, and support recovery.
Can Pain Reprocessing Therapy help chronic back pain?
It can be helpful for some people with chronic back pain, especially when pain has persisted for a long time and other treatments have not fully resolved it. If a scan has not shown much is wrong with your spine or medical professionals are scratching their heads, then you could have neuroplastic pain. PRT can help you if you have neuroplastic pain.
Can Pain Reprocessing Therapy help chronic neck pain?
Yes, Pain Reprocessing Therapy may help some people with chronic neck pain, particularly when symptoms have become long-standing and are affecting confidence, movement, and daily life.
Is chronic pain always caused by tissue damage?
Not always. In some cases, pain continues because the nervous system remains overprotective, even when the original injury has healed or is no longer the main reason for the pain.
Do you use Pain Reprocessing Therapy alongside personal training?
Yes. I incorporate Pain Reprocessing Therapy into my personal training approach in my small studio in Coggeshall, Essex. I help clients with persistent back pain, persistent neck pain, and other forms of chronic pain move with more confidence and less fear.
I also work online with clients around the world.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy in Essex
Back Pain Help in Essex
Personal Trainer who works with back pain - Essex
