Every week I meet people whose pain is more than physical. It stops them from doing what they love — and when that happens, it doesn’t just hurt the body, it hurts the person. The effect on mental health of persistent pain is often underestimated.
One of the most memorable examples of this came from my good friend and long-time client, Joe Pane. Many people know Joe as an expert in human behaviour and emotional fitness. What they might not know is that he’s also a passionate runner who’s completed eight marathons and more than twenty half-marathons. Running isn’t just part of Joe’s routine — it’s part of who he is.
So when a stubborn injury forced him to stop, it became more than a physical problem. It became an identity crisis.
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When Pain Becomes Personal
Joe had been dealing with an ongoing glute issue that eventually led to a severe calf problem. While the glute was a little uncomfortable running and was more chronic, his calf had started to seize up just a few kilometres into a run, leaving him unable to move freely. He couldn’t continue to run… the calf literally stopped him in his tracks.
Like many people, Joe tried the traditional options — local physio, rest, time. Nothing made a lasting difference. Each attempt at running ended in the same frustration.
He told me later how the experience made him feel grumpy, disconnected, and even isolated from the running community that gave him so much joy and belonging. For Joe, pain wasn’t just about the calf. It was about losing a piece of himself.
A Whole-Body Approach
When I visited Joe on a recent break up north, I offered to assess his injury using the Ridgway Method — a whole-body, problem-solving approach that identifies the real cause of pain, not just where it’s felt.
What we discovered surprised even Joe. His right calf — the one that was painful — wasn’t actually the main problem. The biggest contributing factors were coming from his left leg, specifically his quadriceps and soleus muscles.
By releasing tension in those areas, as well as importantly addressing nerve tension, we reduced the strain pattern that had been locking up his right calf. We used the guarding response in his right hamstring as a measure of the tension on his posterior chain and calf muscle. This improved significantly in the session.
The next morning, Joe messaged me to say he had just completed a 6km run pain-free — something he hadn’t been able to do for weeks.
All of this happened within 12 hours of treatment.
Pain and Identity Are Connected
What struck me most about Joe’s experience wasn’t just the physical recovery — it was the emotional shift that followed.
As Joe shared later, running gives him more than fitness. It provides emotional release, social connection, and even spiritual meaning. Losing that had affected his mood, his relationships, and his sense of identity.
This is something I see often. When pain limits what you love — whether that’s running, sport, gardening, or simply playing with your kids — it can leave you feeling disconnected from who you are. That’s why I believe recovery isn’t just about the body; it’s about restoring confidence, freedom, and purpose.
The Science Behind It
One of the key principles of the Ridgway Method is that where you feel pain isn’t always where the problem is. Pain is often the result of accumulative strain — small stresses that build up in the body over time from things like exercise, sitting for long hours, lifting, or even emotional tension.
These are all protective responses created by your brain as early signals of imbalance.

When this strain,ie the protective responses, build beyond the body’s capacity to adapt, the nervous system sends a warning signal: pain. And this output signal from the brain may not be in the area that is the primary issue. Your brain will choose the best response to change your behaviour… that is, get the problem fixed!
By using systematic testing, we can locate where this strain is hiding and release it, often producing instant improvements in movement and comfort.
In Joe’s case, releasing the opposite leg was the key to unlocking his calf pain.
Maintaining the Freedom
After his recovery, Joe and I talked about the importance of what we call tune-ups — regular sessions that help identify strain patterns before they become painful. These sessions are not about chasing symptoms but about keeping the body balanced, resilient, and performing at its best.
Joe’s story is a perfect example of how the Ridgway Method helps people not only overcome pain but also stay connected to the things that matter most to them.

Final Thoughts
When pain and identity collide, the result can be more than just physical limitation — it can affect your happiness, relationships, and sense of self.
But there is a way back.
By looking beyond the site of pain and addressing the true cause, the Ridgway Method gives people the chance to move freely again and reclaim who they are.
If you’ve been living with long-term pain or frustration that hasn’t improved with traditional approaches, it might be time to take a different path.
👉 Book your initial Nerve Tension Test here and take the first step towards lasting freedom.