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pain flares

managing arthritis pain in cold weather

September 16, 2025 · In: Habits for Healing, Holistic Self-Care and Sustainable Healing

Managing Arthritis Pain in Cold Weather with Simple Daily Strategies

Ever notice how aches and pains feel worse when the weather is colder? This is especially true for those living with arthritis. Many people notice their joints feel stiffer, more…

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prp for knee osteoarthritis

September 2, 2025 · In: Pain Science and Healing, Science-Backed Education

The Truth About PRP for Knee Osteoarthritis: Benefits and Limitations

Knee pain is one of the most common complaints among adults, affecting 25% of people in the US. As we age, the likelihood of experiencing knee pain also increases. For…

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hip impingement exercises

February 11, 2025 · In: Mobility and Restoration, Movement

Top Hip Impingement Exercises to Relieve Your Discomfort

Have you ever gone to the gym for a leg workout only to find out you have to stop because of this pinching pain in the front of your hip…

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exercises for shoulder impingement

November 5, 2024 · In: Mobility and Restoration, Movement

Exercises for Shoulder Impingement and Pain Free Movement

Shoulder impingement is a very common issue. You may be experiencing it if you feel a pinching sensation at the top of your shoulder when reaching overhead. It’s prevalence is…

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tension headaches

May 14, 2024 · In: Mobility and Restoration, Movement

5 Great Stretches and Exercises to Alleviate Tension Headaches

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, tension headaches have emerged as a frequent unwelcome companion for many. Affecting a significant portion of the population, these headaches manifest as…

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pinched nerve exercises

January 30, 2024 · In: Mobility and Restoration, Movement

5 Best Exercises for a Pinched Nerve in the Back

Commonly referred to as a “pinched nerve,” radiculopathy can certainly make its presence. It can get in the way of performing daily tasks and even cause debilitating pain, numbness, or…

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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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