Neuroplastic Pain
When pain is real — but no longer caused by injury
Neuroplastic pain is a type of chronic pain that continues even though the body tissues are healthy or have healed. The pain is real, but it is driven by an overactive nervous system rather than by structural damage.
The brain’s job is to protect us. Sometimes, after an injury, illness, or prolonged stress, the brain becomes overprotective and keeps sending pain signals even when the body is safe. Pain can become a learned response.
In manual osteopathy, we understand that pain is not only mechanical — it is influenced by the brain, nervous system, emotions, thoughts and lived experience. When the nervous system perceives threat, it can maintain pain long after tissues have healed.
Common signs include:
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Pain that persists after the expected healing time of an injury
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Pain that persists despite treatment
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Pain that shifts, fluctuates, or spreads
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Sensitivity to touch or movement
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Pain influenced by stress, emotions, or anxiety
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Imaging findings that don’t explain or correlate with symptoms
This does not mean something is “wrong with your head.”
It means the nervous system is stuck in protection mode.
The good news is: the nervous system is adaptable and the brain can change.
Treatment Options
Because the brain is capable of rewiring and changing, neuroplastic pain is reversible.
Treatment focuses on calming the nervous system and retraining the brain to correctly interpret sensations as safe.
Approaches include:
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)
PRT helps people:
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Understand how pain works in the brain
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Reduce fear around sensations
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Gently retrain the nervous system using awareness, safety cues, and attention
Mind-Body & Nervous System Regulation
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Mindfulness and body awareness
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Stress reduction and emotional processing
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Learning to respond differently to pain signals
Gentle Movement & Graded
Re-Exposure
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Gradual return to movement without fear
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Teaching the brain that normal activity is safe again
Education
Verena's interest in Neuroplastic Pain started with a personal experience of persistent neck pain. She found relief through reading Dr. Sarno's Back Pain book. Every since then, she has been learning about Neuroplastic Pain and has recently completed her Neuroplastic Pain Practitioner Training with Dr.Howard Schubiner, one of the leading experts in the field of Mind Body Medicine. Starting in February 2026, she will be attending the Professional Development Program through the Freedom from Chronic Pain program and will receive regular education and ongoing mentorship from their senior clinical team members like Dr. Schubiner, Dr. Kennedy and Dr. McClannahan.
Links
Integrated Care
Manual osteopathy supports neuroplastic pain recovery by working directly with the nervous system through touch, movement, and presence.
Treatment may include:
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Gentle manual techniques that calm the nervous system
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Improving tissue mobility without forcing or provoking pain
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Supporting breathing, vagal tone, and regulation
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Helping the body experience safe, non-threatening sensation
Touch becomes a message of safety.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy principles are often integrated into manual osteopathic treatment:
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Education of Patients on how pain is generated
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Reducing fear around bodily sensations
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Learning to observe sensations without alarm
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Re-educating the brain through safe experience
Hands-on work helps to calm down the danger alarm system. Clients experience how it feels to be in a state of safety and relaxation and over time, learn to create this state on their own.