Why do so many chronic pain treatments provide temporary relief, only for the pain to return?

In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with Dr. Sean Altman about why persistent pain often requires a much broader approach than simply treating the area that hurts.

After experiencing multiple injuries as a competitive ice hockey player—including concussions, migraines, vertigo and brain fog—Dr. Altman discovered the limitations of treating symptoms in isolation. His search for more complete answers led him to develop an approach he calls orthopedic functional medicine, combining traditional orthopedic care with functional medicine principles.

Sean explains why the painful area is not necessarily where the problem began, how weaknesses or imbalances elsewhere in the body can contribute to injury, and why the nervous system may continue generating or amplifying pain after the original tissues have healed.

You’ll discover:

• Why chronic pain treatments sometimes deliver only temporary relief
• What orthopedic functional medicine means
• Why the location of pain may not reveal its underlying cause
• How different systems within the body influence one another
• How chronic pain can change the nervous system
• The role of neuromodulation, biofeedback and frequency-specific microcurrent
• How manual therapy, laser therapy and shockwave therapy may support recovery
• Why treatment must be personalised to create more durable results
• What practitioners and patients can do to reduce the likelihood of pain returning

If you have tried multiple treatments without achieving lasting relief, this conversation may help you understand why—and show you a different way of approaching recovery.

Listen now to discover why lasting change may require treating the whole person, not simply the painful body part.

Please follow Beyond The Pain and share this episode with someone who may benefit from hearing it.

Find Sean at:

https://www.drseanaltman.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sean-altman/
https://www.facebook.com/sean.altman.9
https://www.instagram.com/dr.sean.altman/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576449047639

Find Leigh at:

Beyond the Pain - https://amzn.to/4y2HVWg
Beyond The Pain ebook - https://amzn.to/4y0lH78
Beyond The Pain 14-Day Programme - https://bodychek.co.uk/beyond-the-pain-programme/

Pain-Free Plate Free Guide - ⁠https://www.bodychek.co.uk/freepainguide/⁠

Consult with Leigh - ⁠https://www.bodychek.co.uk/⁠consultation

Can neck dysfunction cause migraines and chronic headaches—even when you don’t feel significant neck pain?

In this episode of Beyond The Pain, Leigh Brandon speaks with Dr Jono Taves, a physical therapist, headache specialist and founder of the Novera Headache Center, about the frequently overlooked connection between the neck, migraines and persistent headaches.

When pain appears behind the eye, across the temple or inside the head, it is understandable to assume that the problem originates there. But when scans and neurological investigations fail to reveal a clear cause, could the pain actually be referred from the neck?

Jono explains how dysfunction within the upper cervical spine can contribute to headache and migraine symptoms, why the brain may misinterpret where pain is coming from and how neck problems can remain undetected during conventional headache assessments.

Leigh and Jono discuss:

• Why pain felt in the head may originate in the neck
• The relationship between neck dysfunction, migraines and chronic headaches
• Why MRI and CT scans may not reveal the source of someone’s symptoms
• How previous injuries, trauma and accumulated physical stress can affect the neck
• Why some migraine sufferers have neck dysfunction without obvious neck pain
• The limitations of continually managing symptoms without investigating their cause
• How specialist physical therapy may help reduce headache frequency and severity
• The influence of posture, prolonged sitting and screen use
• How psychological stress can increase muscular tension and aggravate symptoms
• Practical ways to improve neck health and support headache recovery

This conversation will be especially valuable if you experience recurring migraines, persistent headaches, neck or shoulder pain, or symptoms that have continued despite medication and conventional treatment. It may also help those whose headaches began following a sports injury, concussion, whiplash or other physical trauma.

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Persistent, severe, sudden or changing headaches should always be assessed by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

JONO’S DETAILS

Novera Headache Center:
https://www.noveraheadachecenter.com

The Headache Doctor Podcast on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@theheadachedoctor

The Headache Doctor Podcast on Buzzsprout:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1343245

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/noveraheadachecenter/

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@theheadachedoctor

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/noveraheadachecenter/

LEIGH’S DETAILS

Beyond The Pain book:
https://amzn.to/4y2HVWg

Beyond The Pain ebook:
https://amzn.to/4y0lH78

Beyond The Pain 14-Day Programme:
https://bodychek.co.uk/beyond-the-pain-programme/

Consult with Leigh:
https://www.bodychek.co.uk/consultation

Why does pain sometimes persist—even after an injury has healed?

In this episode, Leigh speaks with physicist, educator and pain specialist Dr Zoa Conner about the complex nature of persistent pain. They explore why pain is more than a purely physical experience and how muscular imbalances, nutrition, stress, emotions and the nervous system may all influence how pain is experienced.

Zoa explains her systems optimisation approach: instead of viewing pain as an isolated symptom, she looks at the interconnected factors that may be keeping the body in a protective state.

In this conversation, you’ll discover:

• Why pain should be understood as a protective message
• How persistent pain can have multiple contributing factors
• The potential roles of posture, muscular imbalance and weakness
• How stress and emotional tension may affect physical symptoms
• Why nutrition matters for healing and nervous-system health
• How mindful awareness can change your relationship with pain
• Ways to reintroduce gentle movement without forcing through symptoms
• Why exploring root causes may be more effective than focusing only on pain relief

If you’re living with persistent pain and feel confused, frustrated or let down by symptom-focused approaches, this conversation offers a broader and more hopeful way to understand what may be happening.

CONNECT WITH ZOA

Take Zoa’s quiz:
https://intentional-vitality.com/quiz/

Next retreat—Montreal, October 2026:
https://intentional-vitality.com/montreal-oct-2026/

Zen and Vitality online and in-person wellness studio:
https://www.zenandvitality.com/

CONNECT WITH LEIGH

Beyond the Pain—paperback:
https://amzn.to/4y2HVWg

Beyond the Pain—ebook:
https://amzn.to/4y0lH78

Beyond the Pain 14-Day Programme:
https://bodychek.co.uk/beyond-the-pain-programme/

Download the free Pain-Free Plate guide:
https://www.bodychek.co.uk/freepainguide/

Book a consultation with Leigh:
https://www.bodychek.co.uk/consultation

Please follow or subscribe to the show and share this episode with someone who needs a new perspective on persistent pain.

Disclaimer: This episode is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult an appropriately qualified healthcare professional about symptoms or changes to your health.