Chase’s Story: From CRPS to Coaching a Comeback

By Ravoke Desk | Ravoke.com

A Life Interrupted

The pain began after two spine surgeries, at a time when Chase Teagarden expected to be healing.

He was told to rest. Recover. Be patient.
But what he felt wasn’t typical post-op discomfort. It was sharp. Burning. Relentless. Centered in his left leg—and getting worse.

At first, Chase assumed it was part of the healing process. But the pain didn’t behave the way it should. It intensified, spread unpredictably, and defied explanation.

“The early signs were constant burning pain, swelling, and sensitivity that seemed out of proportion,” Chase recalls.
“The pain just didn’t make sense.”

Specialists couldn’t explain it. Misdiagnoses piled up. Dismissals stung.
By the time the words Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) finally entered the conversation, Chase had already exhausted countless treatments – with nothing to show but frustration and hopelessness.

The Loneliness of Invisible Pain

CRPS is often called one of the most painful conditions in the world. But for Chase, the disbelief hurt more than the pain itself.

“Friends, family – even some doctors – looked at me like it was all in my head,” he says.
“That kind of disbelief makes you feel invisible.”

Everyday moments became battlegrounds: pulling on a sock, sliding into bed, feeling a sheet brush against his skin.
But the hardest part was the question that echoed in the dark:

Will this ever end?

Discovering a New Way Forward

After years of failed treatments, Chase shifted focus. He began to study pain neuroscience—how the brain and nervous system drive chronic pain. That’s when everything changed.

“The turning point wasn’t one treatment. It was understanding pain neuroscience and applying it to my life.”

He stopped chasing a medical cure and started rebuilding a relationship with his body. His new approach included:

• Gentle movement and pacing
• Visualization and mirror therapy
• Graded exposure and desensitization
• Progressive strength training
• Emotional processing, inspired by the work of Dr. John Sarno, Nicole Sachs, and Gabor Maté

“It wasn’t about ignoring the pain—it was about changing my relationship to it. Learning that my brain wasn’t broken, just overprotective.”

From Surviving to Healing

The breakthrough didn’t come from a procedure or prescription. It came from a mindset shift:

I stopped asking, ‘How do I get rid of this pain?’ and started asking, ‘How can I live fully despite it?

Progress followed: longer walks, lifting again, laughing more.
Healing wasn’t instant, but it was real. Chase wasn’t just surviving. He was rebuilding his life.

From Pain to Purpose

With recovery came clarity: Chase had to share what he’d learned.

I felt a responsibility to turn my pain into purpose.

So he made a bold move—leaving behind a secure career as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, where he’d spent six years in top Texas hospitals, to create something bigger:

I knew I could help more people by breaking free from the system.

Today, Chase works with people across the U.S., U.K., Spain, Australia, Canada, and beyond—helping them shift from fear and frustration to freedom and function.