Episode 4 of Australian Stories of Healing Pain introduces Hannah Donaldson. Hannah grew up in Mildura and is now a local Physiotherapist and Pilates Instructor.

When Hannah was dancing at a music festival during her college years in Adelaide her neck seized up. Over the course of 4 weeks the pain travelled to different parts of her body and made it painful to simply breathe and she couldn't walk. Hannah jumped from health professional to health professional looking for answers and relief until finally she was diagnosed with reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. She used medication at the beginning but decided to seek an alternate route to healing her pain which ended up having the best long lasting results for her pain and inflammation.

Hannah talks us through her experience with being diagnosed, the advice she got from varying health professionals, trying different treatments and learning about what works for her body.

It wasn't until Hannah found an Ayurvedic Doctor in Adelaide that she was on the path to truly healing her pain. Through the help of the Ayurvedic Doctor, learnings from her physiotherapy course and pain science subjects, a love for Pilates and a mindset shift, Hannah was able to slowly wean off her pain medication and live a pain free live.

Hannah no longer experiences pain from ankylosing spondylitis or reactive arthritis.

A truly inspiring, informative and motivating interview.

Whether you have been diagnosed with a form of arthritis, you suffer from a different pain condition or you know someone in pain - this episode is for you!

If you have been stuck in a rut around your pain, Hannah's tips will leave you feeling motivated about the next step in your healing journey.

You can connect with Hannah here:

https://www.themovementconcept.com.au/

Instagram: @themvmntconcept

Hannah's recommendations:

•Adriana from Adelaide Ayurvedic Clinic. 28 Garden Terrace, Underdale SA 5032 Phone: (08) 8352 8057

It is important to find a group of health professionals who are willing to help you through your journey. This should involve a combination of managing a healthy diet, consistent exercise and learning about your pain in a proactive way.

Hannah recommends people in Mildura and surrounding areas that can help with this are:

Nutrition and naturopathy:

Demi Green (Naturopath)

https://www.demigreen.com/new-page

Britt Christensen (Nutritionist)

https://www.nutritionbybritty.com.au/

Pain education

Resources to learn about pain: