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lower back

mechanical low back pain

January 6, 2026 · In: Back, Body Region Support, Science-Backed Education

Why Mechanical Low Back Pain Keeps Flaring Even When Imaging Is Normal

Mechanical low back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek care, yet it often comes with confusing answers when imaging looks normal. Many people are told their…

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exercise for spinal stenosis

October 21, 2025 · In: Mobility and Restoration, Movement

Exercise for Spinal Stenosis: How to Move Safely and Reduce Pain

Spinal stenosis occurs when the spaces within your spine narrow, placing pressure on the nerves that travel through these areas. If you’ve been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, it can feel…

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core strengthening exercises

September 30, 2025 · In: Movement, Strength for Resilience

The Best Core Strengthening Exercises for Back Pain Relief

Back pain affects nearly 80–85% of people at some point in their lives. It is one of the leading causes of missed workdays and long-term disability. Desk workers are particularly…

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back pain travel tips

September 23, 2025 · In: Habits for Healing, Holistic Self-Care and Sustainable Healing

Back Pain Travel Tips: A Physical Therapist’s Guide to Long Drives and Flights

Travel can be exciting, but it can also be tough on your back. Long hours in a car or plane often mean stiffness, soreness, or even flare ups of chronic…

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bulging disc

May 20, 2025 · In: Pain Science and Healing, Science-Backed Education

I Have a Bulging Disc. What Do I Do Now?

A bulging disc is when an intervertebral disc extends beyond its usual boundary. There are varying degrees to how severe a bulging disc may be. More severe cases result in…

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foot posture

July 30, 2024 · In: Body Region Support, Foot/Ankle, Science-Backed Education

Understanding the Connection Between Foot Posture and Back Health

When you think about what affects your back health, foot posture might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, the way your feet align as you stand,…

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Meet Tera

Meet Tera
hi, i'm tera!

I'm a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy and the founder of PT Complete. I built the Regulate and Rebuild Method because most people trying to get back into their body after chronic pain are told to either push through it or rest completely, and neither one actually works. I write from the clinic and from my own body, since I'm working through my own chronic pain story right now, too. When I'm not working, you'll probably find me managing the regular chaos of life or curled up with coffee and a dessert I can't seem to quit.

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Featured Posts

woman pausing in her car before a holiday family gathering while managing chronic pain

Holiday Family Stress and Your Nervous System: Why Gatherings Can Trigger Fight-or-Flight

woman deciding how to reply to a holiday invitation while managing chronic pain

How to Say No During the Holidays With Chronic Pain and Handle the Guilt

woman testing a gentle movement baseline during a slow walk

What is Gentle Movement? (And Why Most Advice Gets It Wrong)

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@teravaughn22

terasandona

Chronic pain coaching • Ditch the push-crash loop
Licensed DPT • Regulate first, rebuild second, then layer
👇🏻 Free nervous system workbook

I currently do not squat, lunge, or deadlift. I g I currently do not squat, lunge, or deadlift.

I get why everyone defaults to these movements. They’re efficient, they build strength, and if your body can tolerate them, there’s nothing wrong with having them in a program.

For a long time, I assumed that if I pushed through it, my body would eventually catch up. That’s not how it works when you’re dealing with chronic pain. Pushing through leads to a setback fast.

Your back is tied directly into what your hips and legs are doing. Careful form can only take it so far out of the equation, especially when weakness is involved.

A few months ago, I was doing bodyweight versions of these same exercises at home. Every time, it aggravated my back. So I stepped back to isolated machines instead.

Here’s what made it click. I couldn’t even tolerate a leg extension machine at 30lbs. I weigh about 120. There was no version of me safely squatting my own bodyweight and that’s still true right now.

Isolated machines do exactly what they’re built for. They isolate one muscle group and take my back out of the equation so I can still train and progressively add weight at a pace that’s safe for my body.

If a compound lift keeps interfering with your back, this is where I’d start looking instead.

Send this to the friend who keeps getting told squats are non-negotiable.
It was a Sunday and I woke up feeling good, better It was a Sunday and I woke up feeling good, better than I expected after lifting the day before. I went on a 40 minute walk, did laundry and vacuumed, and had a home leg workout planned for later.

Then around early afternoon, my energy tanked. I could still putter around the house, but the thought of starting that workout felt like more than I had left.

If you’ve had energy for everything except the one thing you planned, I know how much that one can sting.

Looking back, it was hot, I’d barely eaten, and I hadn’t slept well most of that week. Each of those can pull from the same energy you’d use to train, and that day, I had all three. What felt like a motivation problem was my body showing me what the day had already used up.

So I moved the workout to Monday instead of forcing it (and let myself have the day).

Send this to the friend who feels guilty every time a planned workout doesn’t happen.

#chronicpainlife #chronicfatiguesyndrome #lowenergy #paceyourself #functionalcapacity
Nothing about chopping vegetables is urgent and my Nothing about chopping vegetables is urgent and my jaw was still clenched like it was.

If you just checked and your teeth were touching, you’re not doing anything wrong. When you’ve been running on alert for a while, your nervous system can start treating ordinary moments like urgent ones, and your jaw braces right along with it while you scroll, answer emails, or cook dinner.

Over time that can stack into headaches, jaw pain, and neck tension.

You don’t have to fix it the moment you catch it. Right now the goal is to notice it in the everyday moments it tends to hide, so it stops being something your body does without you knowing.

Save this and check your jaw the next time you open your inbox.

#jawclenching #jawtension #nervoussystemhealth #stressandpain #chronicpainawareness
Happy 1st anniversary to my other half 💕 Getting Happy 1st anniversary to my other half 💕

Getting to relive the best day ever, reminiscing through these photos, and visiting our favorite place is more than I could ask for. Can’t wait for many more of these years to come ❤️
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