Finding relief when pain doesn’t tell the whole story

The Hidden Weight of Back Pain

Chronic low back pain often arrives without warning. There’s no single injury, no dramatic moment that explains it. One day it’s a stiffness that lingers, the next it’s an ache that shapes how you sit, stand, or move. And before long, it becomes part of daily life—persistent, frustrating, and hard to define.

For many, the search for relief begins with imaging. X-rays or MRIs return with results like “normal” or “mild degenerative changes”—findings that don’t fully explain the pain you feel. From there, the usual next steps often include medications, injections, or physical therapy. These approaches are important and helpful for many people, but for others, they don’t resolve the ache in a lasting way.

Why Relief Can Feel Out of Reach

I hear it often:

“I only got about five minutes of focused attention during my PT session because they were managing several other patients.”
“The exercises felt generic—too much for me one day, not enough the next.”
“The hands-on care seemed rushed. Sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn’t.”

These aren’t failings of individual clinicians—they’re reflections of a healthcare system stretched thin by insurance restrictions, heavy caseloads, and limited time. Everyone involved cares deeply, but the system isn’t always built for the nuanced, whole-person care that chronic pain requires.

What Integrative Care Looks Like

This is where integrative care steps in—not to discard what you’ve already tried, but to expand it. Every tool has value when it’s used intentionally, at the right time, and in the right way.

In practice, this might look like beginning with dry needling or manual therapy to release tension, then shifting into guided breathwork or visualization to reconnect your body with a sense of safety. Sometimes we explore pain through imagery—naming it as a color, texture, or shape. These sensations often point to the body’s deeper energy systems, communicating where imbalance or protection is being held.

The body holds memories for a reason—to protect us. Pain can be the nervous system’s way of making sure we don’t forget a strain or stress. But just like soothing a crying baby, those signals don’t need to be silenced—they need to be acknowledged: “I hear you, I see you, but I’ve got this now.” When those protective mechanisms are met with safety, they often soften. Reiki or crystal work can help deepen that shift, grounding and settling the nervous system into a parasympathetic state where repair is possible.

We close by integrating with movement and health coaching—not a long list of exercises, but small, sustainable changes you can actually live with. Adjustments in posture, breathing, or daily habits that build strength and trust without flare-ups. Over time, these small changes create big shifts.

Beyond Pain Relief

The goal isn’t just to reduce pain. It’s to help you feel safe in your own body again. To restore confidence in movement. To support not just the physical structures of your back, but the nervous system, emotions, and energy systems that shape how pain is experienced.

What I Support

Chronic low back pain is just one example. At Yamamoto Wellness, I work with a wide range of conditions and concerns, including:

Musculoskeletal pain and recovery — whether post-surgical or not, from the spine to the extremities: back, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, legs, ankles, calves, feet, and Achilles tendon
Headaches and migraines
Chronic or complex pain that hasn’t improved with traditional approaches
Nervous system regulation to support challenges like stress, heightened tension, or difficulty sleeping
Recovery support after injury, illness, or overtraining
Breath, core, and movement re-integration
Lifestyle and wellness coaching to create small, sustainable changes for long-term health

If your imaging was “normal,” if your exercises felt off, or if you’ve felt like your pain is more complicated than a single diagnosis—know that you’re not alone. Integrative care can bring the pieces back together, helping you move with freedom, strength, and trust in your body again.

Beyond the Ache: An Integrative Approach to Chronic Low Back Pain