Solving Chronic Pain with Systems Thinking : New Age Physical Therapy
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Rick Olderman - Physical Therapist
New Book: Pain Patterns
Website: www.RickOlderman.com
Topic: Chronic Pain, Frozen Shoulder, Neck Issues, and Practical Self-Fixes
Guest: Rick Olderman, PT with 30 years of experience and author of Pain Patterns
🔧 Systems-Based Approach to Pain:
Rick explains how traditional PT often fails chronic pain patients due to "component thinking.
His systems-based method looks at how seemingly unrelated areas (like feet or hips) can cause pain elsewhere in the body (like the neck or lower back).
Most spinal pain is driven by lower body dysfunction, particularly faulty movement patterns.
🦴 Brad's Updates & Takeaways:
Brad shares progress with his L5-S1 herniated disc recovery—Rick's advice (e.g., walking with bent knees, quad-focused stretching) has helped tremendously.
A reminder: simple habits like not locking your knees while walking can reduce chronic issues.
1. Frozen Shoulder:
Early stages: not much can be done—let it run its course.
Later stages (6+ months): Class 4 laser therapy has shown success by promoting nitric oxide release, which relaxes fascia and improves motion.
Key issue: scapular movement is often ignored. True recovery requires restoring scapular mobility, not just shoulder ROM.
2. Chest Pain (Costochondritis/Tietze Syndrome):
Often misdiagnosed or unexplained.
If pain persists beyond a few weeks, suspect mechanical causes—like a tight pectoralis minor or asymmetries in the rib cage.
Pain might stem from old shoulder or pelvic issues pulling on rib attachments.
3. Shoulder/Neck Pain on the Opposite Side:
Peculiar but likely related to levator scapula tension pulling on cervical vertebrae.
Dysfunctional scapular movement on one side can cause pain on the opposite side due to compensations.
Stretching and scapular realignment often reduce symptoms quickly.
4. Chronic Neck Pain & Headaches:
Almost always traced back to scapular dysfunction, not just upper neck or trap muscles.
Self-treatment: simple positional exercises like child’s pose to relieve depressed scapula.
Consistency and correct technique matter more than quantity of exercises.
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