Episode 21: A New Take on Treating Pain

When I met Andrew Bloch, ATC, PT, L.Ac., we immediately connected over our shared perspective on the importance of the nervous system. His philosophy on treating pain is very unique and interesting, and I am excited to share this episode with you.    As he describes in the podcast, his treatment approach is based on wanting to help people feel better and get out of pain first, so that they can then have the energy to focus on getting well. This approach involves resetting the autonomic nervous system to reduce pain immediately. Typical practice is done in the opposite order, focusing first on the structure (i.e. what is tight/weak) and on fixing those things with the *hope* that it will help the person feel better at the end of the process. With chronic pain, however, it is often more neurological than structural, and a different approach may be needed.     He also has an excellent perspective on how to describe pain to patients and use metaphors that resonate with people. Instead of starting with an intimidating diagnosis that may add to the stress of a patient already in pain, he offers tangible descriptions that can demystify pain and help get patients to buy in to their treatment plan.