How Stress and Emotions Affect Pain—and What Physical Therapy Can Do About It

If you’ve ever noticed that pain gets worse when you’re overwhelmed or anxious, you’re not imagining it. Stress, emotions, and trauma can all impact how your body processes pain—and physical therapy can help.

As a physical therapist trained in mental health-informed care, I work with clients who live with chronic pain, stress-related tension, and movement challenges that don’t always respond to traditional approaches. By understanding how the brain and nervous system influence the body, we can tap into new ways to feel better.

The Mind-Body Connection in Pain

Pain isn’t just about tissue damage—it’s also shaped by your brain, past experiences, beliefs, and stress levels. When the nervous system is stuck in a state of high alert (often called “fight or flight”), muscles tense, breathing becomes shallow, and pain can become more intense or widespread.

This heightened fight or flight response is especially common in conditions like:

• Chronic low back or neck pain

• Fibromyalgia

• Pelvic floor dysfunction

• Post-trauma pain

• Long COVID or post-viral fatigue

What We Can Do About It

In my practice, I use a blend of somatic therapies such as mindful movement, breath work, gentle manual therapy and nervous system regulation, with cognitive and behavioral/lifestyle education to help you:

• Understand your pain

• Calm your system and reduce flare-ups

• Feel safe and in control of your body again

This approach is especially helpful if you’ve tried PT before and didn’t get the results you hoped for.

You’re Not Alone—and You’re Not Broken

Pain can feel isolating, but there is hope. You don’t need to “push through it” or ignore what your body is telling you. We’ll work together to help you learn to listen to your body and find a path forward that honors both physical and emotional healing.

What would healing look like for you?

I offer a free 15-minute phone consult. Let’s talk.