By Youlie Warda | Physiotherapist at KINETIKA Physiotherapy Dubai

Pain is a complex experience influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. It’s not always linked to injury or something visible on a scan. Therefore at KINETIKA, we believe in reading the whole picture, not just the test report.

In this article, I’ll share how we assess your pain by listening to your story and observing how your body moves and responds and why this approach is key to planning the right treatment for you.

Putting the Pieces Together

At KINETIKA, we listen to your story and test what the scan can’t see.

We start by getting to know you. We take time to explore:

• When and how did the pain start?
• What makes it better or worse?
• How does it affect your life?

But we go deeper than that. We take time to understand your history, lifestyle, stress levels, past injuries, and even how you describe your pain. All of this gives us clues about your pain experience.

We then assess how your nervous system responds through tension, restriction, and pain. We observe how you move and whether your muscles are working well or guarding to protect.

For us, as physiotherapists, this is more than collecting information. It’s about putting the puzzle pieces together to truly understand what’s driving your pain and allowing us to build a personalized plan to guide your body back to safety, strength, and ease.

We Treat The Person Not The Diagnosis

Two people walk into the clinic with the same diagnosis: patellofemoral pain syndrome. Their scans look almost identical: no big damage, just some mild irritation around the kneecap. On paper, their condition looks identical. But their stories couldn’t be more different.

One of them is a 16-year-old girl who’s recently hit a growth spurt. She spends long hours sitting at school, doesn’t play sports, and starts feeling pain while going up and down stairs. She holds tension in her hips, and her nervous system is often in a heightened state due to academic pressure and body image concerns.

The other is a 27-year-old basketball player in mid-season. He feels knee pain after intense training and games. A history of ankle injuries changed his movement patterns, placing extra load on his knee. He’s under pressure to push through the pain and get back in the game quickly.

Same joint, same scan, same symptom. But completely different presentations.

At KINETIKA, we would never treat them the same. Because pain is not just about what the scan shows, it’s about the person living in that body.

Every plan is built around your goals, your body, and your story.

Final Thought

Pain isn’t a one-dimensional problem. It’s a complex puzzle and the more pieces we understand, the better we can help. That’s why we don’t rely on scans alone. We listen, observe, and connect the dots to build a plan that truly fits you.