Chronic Pain

You've Tried Everything.
There's Still an Answer.

We are here to help you get Your Life Back — Fully.

If you've spent months or years cycling through treatments — injections, chiropractic, acupuncture, physical therapy — and you're still in pain, you're not out of options. You're in the right place.

You're Not Imagining It. You're Not Broken.

A man with a tattooed leg, sitting on a medical examination table, is doing a breath exercise or story, with one hand on his chest and the other on his stomach. He is facing a healthcare professional in a clinic or office setting.

Chronic pain is one of the most misunderstood and under treated conditions in healthcare. Most treatments for chronic pain focus on the site of pain without addressing the source.

This is why we treat your pain differently at RISE.

“We have to treat the brain and the nervous system in order to make real change.“

— Dr. Stephanie Irwin, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT · Founder, RISE Performance & Health

Lets Get Started
A woman with glasses and long hair is arm wrestling with another woman whose face is not visible. They are sitting at a table in a room with a blurred logo in the background.

What Pain Neuroscience reveals has fundamentally changed how we understand and treat chronic pain.

Persistent pain isn't a failure to heal — It's a signal that the brain and nervous system need to be treated alongside the tissues in the body.

At RISE, our approach combines our expertise in manual physical therapy and pain reframing with targeted techniques that restore how the nervous system functions.

The result isn't just relief. It's a fundamentally different relationship with your body — and your life.

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TESTIMONIAL

TESTIMONIAL

This is Hayden's story of chronic back pain and how he found hope at RISE Performance & Health in Seattle.

Hayden found freedom and agency again over his life again through our evidence-based chronic pain treatment approach.

OUR SERVICES

How We Retrain The Nervous System

  • Person measuring a person's knee with a digital caliper.

    Sensory Retraining

    We use techniques like two-point discrimination to help the body relearn what movement feels like in affected areas — rebuilding the brain's accurate map of the body.

  • Medical professional holding a young girl's hand during a healthcare visit.

    Pain Interpretation Training

    We work with you to distinguish between sensations that signal genuine harm and those that reflect a sensitized nervous system. This shifts your relationship with pain from fear to understanding.

  • Young man with short dark hair in a white t-shirt, eyes closed, facing slightly downward, standing against a plain light gray wall.

    Visualization & Brain-Based Techniques

    Methods like right-left discrimination use mental imagery to change the brain's processing of incoming sensory information — directly addressing the source of central sensitization.

  • Two men in a gym, one lifting a weight plate while the other supports him.

    Graded Exposure Through Movement

    We guide you back to the movements and activities you've been afraid to do — gradually and safely — retraining the brain to perceive them as non-threatening.

  • Pain Neuroscience Education

    Understanding why your nervous system is responding the way it is is itself therapeutic. We help you make sense of your pain so it loses its power to control you.

  • Two women and a woman high-fiving each other in a bright indoor space with a large window in the background.

    Whole-Person Health

    We also address the lifestyle factors — sleep, stress, nutrition, and mindset — that directly amplify or reduce pain sensitivity, because lasting relief requires treating all of you.

BOOK FREE 15 MIN DISCOVERY CALL

DISCOVERY CALL

DISCOVERY CALL

Ready to Find Out
What's Really Possible?

If you're tired of managing pain and ready to actually change it, we'd be honored to be part of your journey. Schedule a FREE 15 Min Discovery Call with our Doctors of Physical Therapy.

Read our FAQs Here!

Interior of a fitness or therapy room with exercise equipment, a desk, and a therapy table, viewed through an open door.

"Within 5 minutes I knew I had found the healthcare we all wish we could have...It will literally change your life."

— Kayleigh Knapp

Testimonials

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    “My personal trainer referred me to Rise Performance, we had hit a point where my knee issues were limiting my ability to progress, and I had been dealing with back issues for 30 years. I was considering stopping skiing ,and I couldn’t hike or backpack down hill without excruciating knee pain, and as a woman in her 60’s staying active, and getting stronger is very important to me. Drs Stephanie and Roy know what they are doing! Not only that, they collaborate with my trainers at Northwest Fitness Project and work as a team to help me achieve my goals. I’m hiking pain free, and Dr Stephanie has helped me break the cycle of my brain ‘over guarding’ my back, allowing me to dive into heavy RDLs and deadlifts and develop a strong, healthy back.!”

    - Amy Eggler

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    “When i met with Dr. Stephanie Irwin in September 2024 I was in so much pain in my hips and legs. I spent months struggling and taking ibuprofen, assuming it was age related changes that I had to "get used to". An orthopedic specialist I saw recommended Stephanie. From our first consult/session Stephanie was able to explain my issues and teach me some exercises that helped me see immediate improvement. For the first time in months I had hope that this was my life for the next 25 years.

    Fast forward to fall 2025, I was able to take a two week trip with my family involving miles of walking and carrying backpacks up and down hills, into an out of subway stations and through airports. Uh-mazing! All thanks to Stephanie's knowledge, professionalism and skill and with some of my own persistence and hard work! Don't hesitate to call RISE and get started on your own journey. You won't be disappointed.”

    - Kristin Province

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    “A friend referred me to Dr. Stephanie at RISE. During the intake call, the practice’s philosophy really resonated with me. Dr. Stephanie’s & my schedules didn’t align, so I started working with Dr. Roy. I didn’t have an acute injury that was stopping me from doing what I wanted, but there were some minor twinges that had been lingering for months. The team’s thoughtful, holistic approach has been fantastic and effective. After working with Dr. Roy for about 4 to 6 weeks, I was feeling my best running in a year or more. I felt more free, stable, and comfortable flowing down technical downhill that I had in months. RISE Performance & Therapy has helped me bring the ease and fun back to movement!”

    - Melissa Vaught

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    “I'm so grateful to Dr. Roy Parsons for helping me with my chronic neck pain. I'm a personal trainer and a dancer, and have experienced chronic pain, issues with hypermobility and have a very sensitive nervous system. I am really picky about who I seek out body support from and Roy has been incredible. He is thoughtful, curious, patient, supportive and truly invested in helping me get back to the movement I love. Thanks Roy!”

    - Ana Puzycki

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    “I can’t think of anyone that I would trust more than Dr. Roy to help me recover from an injury or teach me how to make myself stronger. He is diligent, passionate about his work, and views wellness through a holistic lense. If you want a physical therapist who will really listen, view you as a whole person, and create an individualized care plan, then Roy is your guy. He understands the intersection between mental and physical health and is able to communicate about the body in a way that you can easily understand. Highly recommend.”

    - Mary Taylor Goeltz

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    “Within 5 minutes of my free consultation with Dr. Stephanie Irwin, I knew I had found the healthcare we all wish we could have. — After seeing PTs and back specialists who always acted like I was a medical mystery and who just threw the classic "STRENGTHEN YOUR CORE" solution at my chronic back pain, being fully heard and seen by Dr. Irwin was so validating.

    I got to really learn about my brain and how chronic pain not only presents in the body but why it happens. — the results are tangible even in the very slow healing process that comes with chronic pain.

    For anyone who has been suffering from pain and unexplained causes of that pain, please just set up the free consultation with Dr. Steph. It will literally change your life.”

    - Kayleigh Knapp

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    “Stephanie has been a fixture in the Seattle running community for years, offering injury prevention workshops and classes to keep us healthy while we hit the pavement.

    Roy was a big help to me personally when I came to him with recurring calf/tendon pain. He led me through several mobility tests and strength-training exercises to help with stability and running form. Listen to your body y’all!”

    - Chris Lunger

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    “Dr Stephanie is the 3rd PT I have tried, and I am extremely glad I found her. I wanted to find the best care possible, and in my opinion Rise is it. The Dr. made me feel understood and was thorough in her diagnosis. I suffer from some sciatica-like symptoms and life has felt so small! Knowing there are expert doctors out there like Dr. Stephanie gives me hope of a pain-free life.”

    - Joe Farino