One of the most frustrating parts of chronic back pain is what doctors sometimes don’t find.
The scan looks normal.
The tissue has healed.
The inflammation is gone.
And yet… the pain stays.
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, this isn’t a mystery—it’s a neurological pattern called central sensitization. And it means the nervous system itself has become hypersensitive.
“Many people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of illness.”
— Johns Hopkins Medicine
When the Nervous System Won’t Let Go
Johns Hopkins explains that in some people, the nervous system becomes overprotective over time. The pain that once served a purpose now becomes a habit loop.
“The nerves that signal pain become hypersensitive, and changes occur in the receptors, neurotransmitters, and pathways that make up the central nervous system.”
This leads to:
- Pain that lasts long after healing
- Pain that spreads or worsens over time
- Pain triggered by non-painful activities like sitting, bending, or even thinking about movement
The pain is not psychological. It’s not imagined. It’s a real, physical state of neural overload.
From Protection to Prison
Pain is designed to protect us.
But when that protective system becomes overactive, it starts to fire at the wrong times. Like a smoke alarm going off when there’s no fire.
This is why many people with chronic back pain feel worse after stress, not movement.
It’s why the pain flares before a family visit, a major deadline, or a hard conversation—even when the body is doing nothing new.
And it’s why traditional physical treatments often fail to help.
Because the issue is no longer structural.
It’s neurological.
When Surgery Makes Things Worse
Johns Hopkins also offers a warning about over-medicalizing back pain:
“Surgery can correct structural abnormalities contributing to back pain, but it does not guarantee pain relief—and may even worsen the pain.”
Instead, they recommend conservative, nervous system–calming strategies:
- Education
- Meditation
- Movement
- Mind-body integration
- Cognitive-based approaches
What The Makepeace Method Adds
The nervous system can be retrained, but it doesn’t happen through willpower, posture correction, or 27-step stretching routines.
It starts with understanding the real purpose of the pain.
At Makepeace, we help you explore what your brain may be trying to protect you from—and how to gently signal to your system that it’s safe to let go.
This isn’t ignoring the pain.
It’s listening to it—and answering back.
Sources:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/chronic-pain
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/chronic-pain/fibromyalgia-in-children
Keep learning
Dear Skeptic: Why You’re Right to Doubt Me
If we had five quiet minutes together, here’s what I’d say: I know what you’re thinking. Another person claiming to have the answer. Another “method.” Another theory that probably only works if you already believe it will. You’re skeptical - and you should be. You’ve tried the stretches. The exercises. The foam rollers, the MRIs, the core work. Maybe even injections or surgery. And now here I am, telling you it might not be your spine. Not your posture. Not your mattress. Not your core. But something emotional? Yeah, I wouldn’t believe me either.
Mayo Clinic Explains How Chronic Pain Persists, Even Without Injury
One of the most confusing aspects of chronic back pain is this: “If the injury is gone… why does the pain remain?” Many people struggle for years with back pain that makes no mechanical sense. Scans show nothing new. Treatments fail. The body should be healed - but the pain continues.
Real people. Real relief.
These are real stories from people who were stuck in pain—until they tried the Makepeace Method. Now they're free.
One day, you bend down to pick up a sock—and your back goes out.
“Knowing what I know now, I regret having back surgery.”
“I feel so much better — and I’m grateful this exists.”
“This took my pain from a 9 or 10 down to a 1 or 2.”
“After doing the program, I got up from my desk one day and the pain and tingling were just gone.”
“I've had significant improvements in my pain levels. I now feel confident about managing my back health.”
“This method makes a complex idea easy to implement. Bottom line: I’m feeling much better.”
“I was bedridden for weeks. Now the pain is gone, and when it flares, I can shut it off.”
“I was a massage therapist for 30 years. Several weeks ago I started an excruciating ordeal with back pain. The Makepeace Method was life changing for me. My back has improved tremendously. Thank you a million times over.”
“I loved your course. It was a blessing listening to your videos. It has given me hope on my healing journey.”
“I had been truly suffering for months. Within a few days, I was moving freely again. Thank you.”
You've done your time in pain. Now take your life back.
You’ve fought hard and tried it all, but the burden was never yours to carry forever. Your brain is ready to reset, your body to feel safe again. Pain is not who you are - it’s time to reclaim your life.
