In this episode of Steeped in Wellness, we sit down with Vinny Crispino, founder of Pain Academy and former competitive athlete, to talk about pain, healing, and redefining recovery. Vinny recounts the surfing accident that broke his back and launched him into a years-long battle with chronic pain. He shares how his injury left him disoriented and desperate, cycling through countless experts and treatments without lasting relief. Eventually, this frustration turned into a mission to understand the body, the brain, and how we process pain.
We explore how chronic pain often lingers not because of structural damage, but due to neuroplastic changes in the brain. Vinny explains how trauma, adversity, and learned associations can cause pain to persist long after the body has healed. He introduces the concept of neuroplastic pain and emphasizes the importance of recognizing how our brain interprets signals, sometimes locking us into cycles of suffering that no scan or surgery can resolve.
Through Pain Academy, Vinny teaches that healing requires a shift from passive to active therapy—where individuals learn to care for themselves using gentle, sustainable movement. He challenges the “go big or go home” mindset common among athletes and instead advocates for “go medium and sometimes stay inside,” training the nervous system to feel safe in movement rather than always pushing through pain. We also discuss the emotional component of pain, the influence of identity on recovery, and how society often validates pain in unhelpful ways.
We touch on topics like ketamine therapy, post-pregnancy recovery, and the risks of over-diagnosis through preventative MRIs. He underscores the need for simple, accessible tools and mindset shifts that empower people to reconnect with their bodies. He also offers daily practices and insights that helped him—like somatic tracking, microdosing movement, and learning to view pain as a communication tool rather than an enemy.
We wrap the episode reflecting on how embracing discomfort and responding thoughtfully to pain can transform our relationship with ourselves. Vinny leaves us with a powerful reminder: pain is real, but that doesn’t always mean it’s structural—and often, healing begins by listening rather than fixing.
Studies cited by Vinny in this podcast:
Predicting Transition to Chronic Pain: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23823463/
Epidemiology of Whiplash: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1752751/