Pain Treatment Q&A
Why does it
keep recurring?
Pain that keeps coming back has a reason
Treatment helped and pain went away, but it comes back after a few months. If this keeps happening, it’s because you’re only treating symptoms without addressing root causes.
Quick Answer
Pain keeps recurring because you only treated symptoms, not root causes. Medication and injections can temporarily reduce pain, but if functional problems (neural sensitivity, muscle weakness, movement imbalance) remain, pain returns.
✅ To prevent recurrence, you need to treat all 3 stages
Downshift (calm nerves) → Activate (restore muscle function) → Integrate (correct movement). When all three stages are complete, pain doesn’t recur.
5 Main Causes of Recurrence
If pain keeps recurring, check these factors:
① Only treated symptoms, not root causes
Example: Only took painkillers, only got injections
- Medication and injections temporarily reduce pain
- But neural sensitivity and muscle weakness remain
- Pain returns when medication wears off
→ Need treatment that addresses root causes, not just symptom relief
② Skipped the Activate stage
Example: Only got injections or HD without PT
- Downshift (HD, injections) can reduce pain
- But if you don’t activate weakened muscles, they remain weak
- Weak areas get re-injured with movement
→ After Downshift, must do Activate (PT, movement correction)
③ Returned to same lifestyle patterns
Example: Same posture, same movements, same habits
- Slouched posture, one-sided bag carrying, crossed legs
- No stretching, overwork, insufficient rest
- Overload accumulates again in same areas
→ Must change lifestyle patterns that caused pain
④ Stopped treatment too early
Example: Stopped treatment as soon as pain reduced
- Pain reduced but tissues not fully recovered
- Muscles activated but not fully stabilized
- Movements corrected but not yet habituated
→ Complete all 3 stages (Downshift → Activate → Integrate) before stopping
⑤ Overloaded too quickly after recovery
Example: Exercised intensely or worked excessively right after recovery
- Returned to pre-injury activity level too quickly
- Overloaded tissues before they’re fully stabilized
- Tissues re-injured before complete recovery
→ Gradually increase activity level
Complete 3-stage treatment for no recurrence
To prevent recurrence, all three stages must be complete.
Downshift
(Calm it down)
Reduce neural sensitivity and tissue overload
- Circulation HD: Release nerves, restore blood flow
- Injections: Reduce inflammation (if needed)
- Medication: Reduce pain (if needed)
Goal: Reduce pain to manageable level
Activate
(Wake it up)
Wake up weakened muscles and restore function
- Circulation PT: Wake up weak muscles
- Movement correction: Find safe movements
- Strengthening: Build stabilization strength
Goal: Restore tissue function
Integrate
(Connect it)
Correct movements and restore to daily life
- Functional exercise: Practice daily movements
- Posture correction: Fix lifestyle patterns
- Prevention training: Prevent re-injury
Goal: Return to daily life without recurrence
⚠️ If you skip Activate or Integrate, chances of recurrence increase
Even if Downshift reduces pain, if muscles remain weak and movements stay incorrect, pain returns. All three stages must be complete.
Recurrence Prevention Checklist
Check these regularly to prevent recurrence:
- ✅ Completed all 3 stages of treatment (Downshift → Activate → Integrate)
- ✅ Learned and practicing home exercises recommended by therapist
- ✅ Fixed lifestyle patterns that caused pain (posture, habits, work environment)
- ✅ Regularly stretching and strengthening weak areas
- ✅ Getting sufficient sleep and rest
- ✅ Gradually increasing activity level (not overloading too quickly)
- ✅ Doing warm-up exercises before exercise
- ✅ Getting regular check-ups even after recovery
→ If you follow this checklist, chances of recurrence decrease significantly
Recurrence prevention isn’t difficult. Just need to maintain good habits.
Related Questions
Q. It’s already recurred. Is it too late?
✅ It’s not too late. Just need to find and address the cause of recurrence. Check these:
- Did you skip Activate or Integrate stages during previous treatment?
- Did you return to same lifestyle patterns that caused pain?
- Did you overload too quickly after recovery?
→ When you treat again, complete all 3 stages and fix lifestyle patterns. This prevents another recurrence.
Q. How long should I continue treatment to prevent recurrence?
Treatment duration varies by individual condition, but typically:
- Acute pain (less than 3 months): 4-8 weeks
- Subacute pain (3-6 months): 8-12 weeks
- Chronic pain (more than 6 months): 12 weeks or longer
Important: Rather than treatment duration, it’s more important to complete all 3 stages. Don’t stop when pain reduces – continue until function is fully restored.
Q. If I keep getting treatment, won’t I become dependent?
❌ No. “Dependency” means relying on external help without developing your own ability to recover. But treatment at Yonsei Shinmyung teaches you self-recovery ability:
- Downshift: Release nerves and restore blood flow (physical improvement)
- Activate: Wake up muscles (restore function)
- Integrate: Correct movements (teach prevention)
→ The goal of treatment is to teach you to maintain without treatment. Once you complete all 3 stages and learn home exercises, you won’t need to keep getting treatment.
Q. What should I do if early signs of recurrence appear?
If you notice these early warning signs, get treatment quickly:
- Slight pain in areas that were previously painful
- Same movements starting to feel uncomfortable
- Muscles starting to feel stiff again
- Posture starting to collapse again
→ Catching and treating early prevents full recurrence. If early signs appear, visit clinic immediately without waiting.
Recurrence prevention at Yonsei Shinmyung
We don’t just treat pain. We teach you how to prevent recurrence.
- Downshift — Circulation HD to reduce neural sensitivity and restore blood flow
- Activate — Circulation PT to restore muscle function
- Integrate — Movement correction and daily activity training
- Home Program — Teach exercises and stretches you can do at home
- Lifestyle Correction — Fix posture, habits, and work environment
- Regular Check-ups — Monitor and prevent early signs of recurrence
Related Articles
Pain that doesn’t recur
is complete treatment
We teach you how to prevent recurrence, not just treat pain.
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