Pain can start with an injury, illness, overuse, or physical strain.
But sometimes the original problem improves, and the pain doesn’t.
Months later, a person may still be protecting a movement, avoiding certain activities or worrying that something is wrong. The pain can become part of everyday life, even when the original trigger is no longer the main factor.
So what happens when pain continues?
The answer may have less to do with one damaged structure and more to do with how the nervous system, movement, behaviour and daily experiences interact.
When the pain system becomes more protective
The nervous system is constantly receiving information from the body and deciding how to respond.
This is useful when there is a genuine threat. If you twist your ankle, for example, pain encourages you to slow down and protect the area while it recovers.
But persistent pain can be different.
When pain continues for a long time, the nervous system may become more responsive to signals associated with threat. Things that were previously comfortable may begin to feel uncomfortable, or movements that once felt normal may start to feel threatening.
This does not mean that the nervous system is “broken”.
It means that pain is influenced by more than what is happening in the tissues at one particular moment.
Pain can change how we move
When movement hurts, avoiding it makes sense.
You might stop bending in a particular direction. You may use one side of your body more than the other. You might tense your muscles without realising it or become cautious about activities you used to do automatically.
Over time, this can affect confidence as well as movement.
A person may begin thinking:
“I shouldn’t move like that.”
Or:
“What if I make it worse?”
That fear can become an important part of the pain experience.
This is one reason that recovery is not always about making pain disappear before someone starts moving again. In some situations, gradually rebuilding comfortable movement and confidence can be part of the process.
The approach needs to be appropriate to the individual, however. Persistent pain should not be treated by simply telling someone to “push through it”.
What can help when pain becomes persistent?
There is rarely one answer that works for everyone.
For some people, understanding what is happening can be an important first step. When pain has been present for a long time, it can be reassuring to understand that experiencing pain does not automatically mean that the body is continuing to sustain damage.
From there, the focus may gradually shift towards what the person can do.
- Gentle movement.
- Building strength.
- Returning to activities that have been avoided.
- Improving sleep.
- Finding ways to manage everyday stress.
- Working with an appropriate healthcare professional.
These things may sound simple, but they can make a meaningful difference when they are suited to the individual.
The goal is not to ignore pain or force the body through it. It is to gradually help the person feel more capable and confident in their body again.
Where does hands-on therapy fit?
This is where a practitioner can play an important role.
Hands-on treatment is not about finding a single structure to “fix”. It can be used as part of a broader approach to help a person manage symptoms, move more comfortably, and work towards their functional goals.
Research also suggests that manual therapy should not be viewed in isolation. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis of chronic non-specific low back pain found that adding manual therapy to exercise did not clearly provide additional short-term pain relief compared with exercise alone, although improvements in disability were reported (Dos Santos et al., 2026).
The message for practitioners is not that hands-on therapy has no place.
It is that good care is about using the right approach for the person, rather than relying on one technique as the answer to every problem.
How does this connect with BMT?
This broader view of persistent pain also provides useful context for Bioelectric Meridian Therapy (BMT).
ABMMA teaches BMT as a complementary approach combining bioelectric stimulation with hands-on techniques. Like any complementary therapy, it should be used within an appropriate professional scope and alongside suitable assessment and referral where needed.
For a practitioner, this means looking at the person rather than simply focusing on the place where they feel pain.
- Their history matters.
- Their movement matters.
- Their response to treatment matters.
So does knowing when a presentation requires assessment or care from another healthcare professional. BMT does not need to be presented as a way of “finding the hidden cause” of pain or replacing medical care.
Instead, it can sit within a thoughtful, practitioner-led approach where the aim is to support the person’s overall care and function.
A different way to think about persistent pain
Living with pain that does not have an obvious explanation can be confusing.
It can also be frustrating when someone feels that they have tried everything and still do not have a clear answer.
But persistent pain does not have to be reduced to a choice between “something is damaged” and “nothing is wrong”.
The body is more complex than that.
Pain can be influenced by the nervous system, movement, previous experiences, and what is happening in a person’s everyday life. Understanding this can help shift the focus from constantly searching for something to find on a scan towards understanding what the person needs now.
For practitioners, that means listening carefully, assessing thoughtfully, and choosing treatment based on the individual rather than the symptom alone.
And for someone living with persistent pain, it can offer an important message:
Pain is real, even when the explanation is not immediately obvious. And understanding it can be the beginning of moving forward.
A note on persistent pain
Persistent or unexplained pain should not be self-diagnosed. New, severe or changing symptoms may require medical assessment, and practitioners should refer appropriately when symptoms fall outside their scope of practice.
This article is intended for general education and does not replace individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Reference
- Dos Santos, E. C. S., Dos Santos, A. T., da Silva, N. A., Carneiro, S. R., Rampazo, É. P., & Magalhães, M. O. (2026). Effectiveness of adding manual therapy to exercise for pain and disability in chronic non-specific low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 82, 103508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2026.103508
- Mallari, P., Gupta, A., Taulier, T., & Kamal, M. A. (2025). Complementary role of electro-acupuncture and ABMMA-bioelectric meridian therapy in anxiety management. https://www.confmeets.com/journals/jppc/articles/jppc-25-9013-1.pdf
- Mallari, P., Taulier, T., & Kamal, M. A. (2025). A Comprehensive Mini-Review on the Understanding of Electrotherapy for Pain Management: An Introduction to ABMMA-BMT. Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.
- Mallari P, Taulier T, Kamal MA. Recovery From Long COVID: The Role of Bioelectric Meridian Therapy in Restoring Health and Well-Being. Cureus. 2024 Dec 23;16(12).
- Praveen, Mallari & Gupta, Aakarshi & Taulier, Tracy & Kamal, Mohammad. (2025). Introducing ABMMA bioelectric meridian therapy (BMT): A holistic path to wellness. Global Journal of Basic Science. 1. 1-5. 10.63454/jbs20000047.
- Gupta, A., Mallari, P., Taulier, T., & Kamal, M. A. (2025). Electrical stimulation: Biological insights and therapeutic applications. Global Translational Medicine. https://doi.org/10.36922/gtm.7774
- Improvement in quality of life and speech: Case study of a head and neck cancer patient using manual lymphatic drainage and bioelectric massage therapy https://woundsinternational.com/journal-articles/improvement-in-quality-of-life-and-speech-case-study-of-a-head-and-neck-cancer-patient-using-manual-lymphatic-drainage-and-bioelectric-massage-therapy/
- Is manual lymphatic drainage with bio-electric massage therapy a good treatment combination for lymphoedema and lipoedema? A case study https://woundsinternational.com/journal-articles/is-manual-lymphatic-drainage-with-bio-electric-massage-therapy-a-good-treatment-combination-for-lymphoedema-and-lipoedema-a-case-study/
- Bioelectrical Meridian Therapy (BMT) is safe for the therapists and pain-free participants. https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/3b9e62_3e3b1ee727dc4137a7bff6b39caac910.pdf
