The VA is turning veterans into permanent 'chronic pain' patients—and it's not the injury that's the problem. It's the label."

In this eye-opening episode of the Iron Direct Primary Care Podcast, host Stefan Hartmann, PA-C sits down with Kathleen Neal, DPT, a physical therapist at the VA. They expose the brutal reality: How the VA system's heavy reliance on meds, procedures, and disability labels traps vets in a cycle of helplessness and dependency.

Why identifying as your diagnosis ("I'm a chronic pain patient") keeps pain locked in—psychologically and physically—long after the original injury heals.The power of movement, mindset shifts, and root-cause approaches over endless pills and "manage it" scripts is discussed. Real stories of patients breaking free when they stop wearing pain like a badge and start reclaiming their identity as capable, moving humans.This isn't just another pain talk—it's a wake-up call for anyone stuck in the "broken forever" narrative, especially our veterans who've been failed by bureaucracy. Iron Direct Primary Care offers a functional medicine approach to chronic pain, but it's not an approach that you will find at the VA where primary care provider turnover is high.