The Only Way to Truly Stop Pain: Why Understanding Beats Quick Fixes Every Time
By John Murphy, PT
Are You Stuck in a Pain Cycle?
You’ve stretched, iced, exercised, maybe even tried injections or surgery, but the pain keeps coming back. Why? After nearly 30 years of helping people get out of pain - from high-level athletes to new moms to weekend warriors - I’ve found one consistent truth: Pain doesn’t stop until someone takes the time to understand it. Not just manage it. Not just treat symptoms. But truly understand why it’s there in the first place.
Your Body Is Like a Dishwasher (Seriously)
If your dishwasher breaks, a good repairman doesn’t just guess. They test the pump, the wires, the sensors. They figure out whether it’s mechanical, electrical, or user error. They solve the problem, because they understand the system.
Now imagine calling in a plumber who only knows water lines. Or an electrician who doesn’t understand how motors work. They’ll each try to fix their part, but your dishwasher still won’t run. That’s modern medicine in a nutshell.
The Problem with Symptom-Based Treatment
Go to a surgeon? You'll be told it needs surgery.
Visit a chiropractor? Expect an adjustment.
Try a physical therapist? You'll likely get a list of exercises.
None of these are bad things. In fact, they can all be useful, in the right context. But most providers are trained to look through one lens, and if your pain doesn’t match that model…you get a cookie-cutter answer instead of a solution.
Real Healing Requires Systems Thinking
The best clinicians I’ve met in any field - PTs, DCs, MDs, DOs - have one thing in common: they’re not loyal to a technique. They’re loyal to the truth.
They ask:
Is this truly a mechanical problem?
Could this be driven by the nervous system?
Is inflammation or sleep dysfunction playing a role?
How does posture or past trauma fit in?
They take time. They listen. They look beyond your symptoms. And they rarely work in insurance-based clinics, because understanding takes time, and the system isn’t designed for that.
What Makes Core Physical Therapy Different?
At Core Physical Therapy, we don’t start with a diagnosis. We start with a conversation, and a whole-body assessment.
We blend:
Osteopathic manual therapy,
Functional movement analysis,
And something even rarer: time and thoughtfulness.
We don’t rush. We don’t guess. We don’t assume the pain is where the problem is.
Ready to Be Understood?
If you’ve tried everything and nothing sticks, maybe it’s time for something different. Not just a new tool, but a new approach.
Start with an assessment.
Get a second opinion.
Get a plan built around you, not your insurance code.
We’ll never recommend anything unless we think it can help. But we always start by asking: “What’s really going on here and what’s been missed?”
Serving the Capital Region of NY
We help patients in Albany and Clifton Park who want answers, not just another round of stretches. Through TeleCOREctive Consultations, we are now available worldwide to get you on the right track. Does your whole team need to level up? Check out Core Concierge.
Call to schedule (518-869-6220) or message a therapist and take the first step toward finally getting understood.