Why Chronic Pain Doesn’t Just “Go Away

May 1

If you’ve struggled with ongoing pain—whether in your lower back, neck, shoulders, or elsewhere—you’re not alone. Chronic musculoskeletal pain affects nearly 1 in 5 adults worldwide, often lingering for months or even years without a clear cause or solution (Goldberg & McGee, 2011). While conventional treatment focuses on the location of pain, this approach rarely addresses the full picture.

At The MVMT Lab, we’ve helped hundreds of clients in Fort Lauderdale break free from pain—not by masking symptoms, but by uncovering and correcting their root causes. To understand why chronic pain persists, you need to go beyond joints and muscles. Chronic pain is complex, multifactorial, and often misunderstood.

Let’s break down why.

1. Pain Is Not Always About Injury

One of the most common misconceptions is that pain always means damage. In reality, chronic pain can persist long after tissue healing is complete. For example, MRI studies have shown that a high percentage of people without any back pain still have disc bulges or herniations (Brinjikji et al., 2015). This tells us that structural findings alone don’t explain pain.

The nervous system can become hypersensitive following an initial injury—a process called central sensitization. Once this occurs, even mild movement, pressure, or emotional stress can trigger pain responses in the brain, even if no damage is present (Woolf, 2011).

2. Poor Movement Patterns and Muscle Imbalances

Pain often results from movement inefficiencies that build up over time—like tight hips, weak core muscles, or limited thoracic mobility. These patterns place chronic stress on joints, tendons, and ligaments, eventually leading to breakdown or irritation.

For example, lower back pain is frequently linked to decreased glute activation and poor lumbopelvic stability (van Dieën et al., 2019). Likewise, shoulder and neck pain often stem from rounded posture, scapular dyskinesis, and muscular imbalances in the rotator cuff and traps (Ludewig & Reynolds, 2009).

Yet, many conventional treatments skip proper movement screening. At The MVMT Lab, we perform joint-by-joint assessments to identify where your movement is breaking down—and how that may be fueling your pain.

3. Stress and Emotional Factors

Chronic stress is not just a mental burden—it has physical consequences. When we’re stressed, our bodies release cortisol, which over time can increase inflammation and reduce tissue healing capacity. Stress also contributes to muscle tension, altered breathing patterns, and poor sleep—all of which exacerbate pain.

A 2016 study published in Pain found that individuals with higher levels of psychological distress reported more intense pain and disability, even after adjusting for structural pathology (Mansfield et al., 2016).

This is why at The MVMT Lab, we always take your mental and emotional health into account. Chronic pain isn’t “just in your head,” but the brain does play a major role in amplifying or reducing your pain experience.

4. Lack of Sleep and Recovery

Sleep is your body’s most powerful recovery tool—and yet, most adults don’t get enough of it. Research shows that poor sleep quality leads to increased pain sensitivity and slower healing. In fact, people who sleep fewer than six hours per night are significantly more likely to develop chronic musculoskeletal pain (Finan et al., 2013).

Sleep deprivation also affects your immune system, hormone levels, and inflammatory markers—all of which are crucial to injury repair. If your recovery systems are taxed, no amount of physical therapy will be enough to fully resolve pain.

That’s why we help clients optimize recovery—whether it’s through sleep hygiene coaching, breathwork, or recovery tools like PNOĒ metabolic testing and red light therapy.

5. Systemic Inflammation and Nutritional Deficiencies

Chronic pain isn’t always local. Internal health plays a massive role in how your body feels and functions. Systemic inflammation, often driven by poor diet, stress, or gut dysfunction, can amplify pain signals and delay tissue repair.

A study published in Pain Medicine found that elevated inflammatory markers such as CRP and IL-6 were strongly associated with higher pain levels in people with chronic musculoskeletal conditions (Yong et al., 2022).

In our clinic, we sometimes refer clients for blood work to check for nutrient deficiencies (like magnesium or vitamin D), hormone imbalances, and markers of inflammation. These hidden variables can quietly sabotage the healing process, especially in chronic cases.

6. Too Much Rest, Not Enough Movement

Pain often leads people to stop moving entirely, fearing that activity will make it worse. But excessive rest and immobilization can actually prolong pain. Muscles weaken, joints stiffen, and your nervous system becomes even more hypersensitive to movement.

Graded, progressive activity is one of the most effective strategies for managing and resolving chronic pain (Geneen et al., 2017). That’s why at The MVMT Lab, we don’t just treat pain—we rebuild strength, mobility, and confidence through personalized movement-based rehab.

Breaking the Cycle

Pain is complex—but that’s exactly why cookie-cutter rehab doesn’t work. If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of recurring pain and temporary relief, it’s time for a new approach.

At The MVMT Lab, we dig deeper. We look at how you move, how you sleep, what you eat, and how you recover. We treat the person, not just the part.

References:

  • Goldberg DS, McGee SJ. (2011). Pain as a global public health priority. BMC Public Health, 11, 770.

  • Brinjikji W, Luetmer PH, Comstock B, et al. (2015). Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol, 36(4):811–816.

  • Woolf CJ. (2011). Central sensitization: Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain. Pain, 152(3 Suppl), S2–S15.

  • van Dieën JH, Cholewicki J, Radebold A. (2019). Trunk muscle recruitment patterns in patients with low back pain enhance stability. Spine.

  • Ludewig PM, Reynolds JF. (2009). The association of scapular kinematics and glenohumeral joint pathologies. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, 39(2), 90–104.

  • Mansfield KE, Sim J, Jordan JL, et al. (2016). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between depression, anxiety, and musculoskeletal pain. Pain, 157(4): 997–1006.

  • Finan PH, Goodin BR, Smith MT. (2013). The association of sleep and pain: an update and a path forward. J Pain, 14(12), 1539–1552.

  • Yong RJ, Mullins PM, Bhattacharyya N. (2022). Inflammatory Biomarkers in Chronic Pain. Pain Medicine, 23(3), 437–447.

  • Geneen LJ, Moore RA, Clarke C, et al. (2017). Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 4(4):CD011279.