The Pain Collective is South Africa’s leading network of pain clinics, helping people live beyond chronic pain.
Our expert doctors and therapists work together to provide advanced, evidence-based treatments—without surgery.
26/01/2026
🌟 Patient Story | Rene Swartz 🌟
For more than a year, Rene Swartz lived with persistent pain in her right inguinal area. Like many patients, she first feared it might be a gynaecological issue and underwent a thorough check-up — but no gynaecological cause could be found. That’s when she was referred to The Pain Collective’s Clinic in Breede Valley.
During her first consultation with Dr Elze-Marie Greyling, Rene also shared that she had been struggling with chronic lower back and neck pain for many years. She believed her pain would only improve once she lost weight — a belief that had kept her suffering silently for far too long.
Today, after completing her treatment at PAIN Breede Valley and following a strong, personalised rehabilitation programme, Rene is pain-free and smiling from ear to ear 💛
Her journey is a powerful reminder of how easily we can become prisoners of our own beliefs — and how the right support, diagnosis, and care can change everything.
If you’ve been living with ongoing pain and unsure where to turn, you don’t have to face it alone.
Pelvic pain in teenagers is often brushed off as “normal” — especially when periods are involved. But when pain starts to interfere with school, sport, sleep, or social life, it’s a sign that something more may be going on.
In our latest blog, we speak directly to parents about the many possible causes of pelvic pain in adolescents — from common period-related pain to conditions like endometriosis, muscle tension, nerve sensitivity, and other treatable causes.
We also explore:
• How to tell when period pain may need further support
• Early signs of endometriosis in teenagers
• Why pain can persist even when tests look normal
• What a thoughtful, age-appropriate assessment involves
• How a multidisciplinary team helps young people regain confidence and function
Pelvic pain can be frightening and isolating for young people — but with early understanding and the right care, most teens can return to school, sport, and everyday life.
👉 Is your child missing school or activities because of pelvic pain?
👉 Are you being told “it’s normal” but your instincts say otherwise?
Pelvic pain is far more common than many realise — yet it’s often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or dismissed. Whether it’s sudden and severe or a persistent ache that’s been affecting your life for months, pelvic pain is always a signal, not a diagnosis.
In our latest blog, we break down what pelvic pain really is and explore the wide range of conditions that can cause it — from gynaecological, urological, and gastrointestinal issues to pelvic floor dysfunction, nerve pain, and musculoskeletal causes.
We also cover:
✅Why pelvic pain presents differently in men and women
✅Key symptom patterns that help pinpoint the underlying cause
✅When pelvic pain requires urgent medical attention
✅How a multidisciplinary pain clinic approaches accurate diagnosis
Modern treatment options, including pelvic physiotherapy and targeted nerve interventions
Chronic pelvic pain can affect every part of life — sleep, movement, work, and relationships — but with the right assessment, most causes are highly treatable.
👉 Living with ongoing pelvic discomfort?
👉 Unsure whether your symptoms are “normal” or need investigation?
⚽ New Blog: When a Sports Injury Just Doesn’t Heal
Most children bounce back quickly after a sports injury. But for some, the pain lingers — weeks or even months later — long after the injury should have healed. When this happens, parents are often left wondering: Is this normal… or is something being missed?
In our latest blog, we explain why ongoing pain in children and teens isn’t always a sign of ongoing injury. Sometimes, the nervous system stays on high alert, continuing to send pain signals even when scans and X-rays look normal.
We also cover:
• Why pain can persist after sprains, fractures, or surgery
• Common signs that lingering pain needs a different approach
• How the nervous system plays a role in ongoing pain
• When to seek specialist help for your child
• Modern, child-focused treatment options that support recovery and confidence
Persistent pain can affect a child’s movement, mood, sleep, school, and return to sport — but with the right care, recovery is possible.
👉 Is your child still in pain months after an injury?
👉 Are they avoiding sport, school, or everyday activities?
Amanda Swanepoel het al jare lank met lae rugpyn gesukkel nadat sy as student ’n besering opgedoen het. Die afgelope 8 maande het sy ook begin worstel met kroniese kniepyn, wat beteken het sy kon nie meer trappe klim, fietsry of stap nie.
Vir Amanda was dit ’n belangrike keerpunt toe sy by The Pain Collective se pynkliniek in Panorama, onder die sorg van Dr Lizane Riekert, hoor dat sy nie in permanente pyn hoef te leef nie. Dit het vir haar nuwe moed en perspektief gebring.
Na haar prosedure en doelgerigte leefstyl-aanpassings, kan sy weer trappe klim sonder enige probleem. Haar rugpyn is weg en haar kniepyn is amper heeltemal opgelos.
Die kombinasie van arbeidsterapie (OT) en fisioterapie het haar gehelp om pyn beter te verstaan en te bestuur. As ’n leefstylafrigter het Amanda hierdie kennis geïntegreer met dit wat sy by die pynkliniek geleer het — en dit het ’n beduidende verskil in haar herstel gemaak.
🌱 Ware pynbestuur gaan oor begrip, ondersteuning en persoonlike sorg.
Many parents are told that leg pain in children is simply “growing pains” — and often, that reassurance is correct. But what happens when the pain keeps coming back, disrupts sleep, affects school or sport, or just doesn’t feel right?
In our latest blog, we unpack what growing pains really are, why they happen, and how to tell when leg pain may be a sign of something that needs closer attention.
We also cover:
• The typical features of harmless growing pains
• Red flags that suggest leg pain may be something more
• Common causes of ongoing leg pain in children
• When to seek medical or specialist pain support
• How modern, child-focused care helps children stay active and confident
Ongoing leg pain can be distressing — for children and parents alike — but early understanding and the right support can make a big difference.
👉 Is your child waking at night with leg pain?
👉 Are they avoiding play, sport, or school because of discomfort?
Abdus lived with lower back pain for nearly four years, and over time it started to affect both his work and his daily life. After visiting our Pain Clinic, he was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, which was difficult news to receive.
Despite this, Abdus was determined to make changes to improve his life. Following his radiofrequency procedure, he experienced a significant improvement in his pain. He also took our team’s advice seriously and followed the program consistently, focusing on long-term health and quality of life.
Today, Abdus is able to do his job comfortably and enjoy more meaningful time with his family. Through increased awareness and conscious living, he’s taken control of his health and is moving forward with confidence.
We’re proud to support Abdus on his journey and grateful to be part of his progress.
20/01/2026
Team Spotlight | The Pain Collective
Anthonysia Jantjies — Hostess
Anthonysia Jantjies is a Hostess at The Pain Collective, bringing experience from a range of hospitality and customer-facing roles. In her position, she supports the clinic’s day-to-day operations by ensuring patients are welcomed professionally and feel comfortable throughout their visit.
Working closely with the clinical and administrative teams, Anthonysia plays an important role in maintaining a positive and efficient patient experience. Her focus is on clear communication, attention to detail, and supporting an environment that reflects the clinic’s holistic, patient-centred approach to care.
Anthonysia’s role supports The Pain Collective’s commitment to delivering coordinated, compassionate care for individuals living with chronic pain.
18/01/2026
🌸 New Blog: Understanding Endometriosis
Endometriosis is far more than “bad period pain.” It’s a chronic, progressive condition that affects millions of women — often in silence — and is a leading cause of pelvic pain, painful periods, and infertility.
In our latest blog, we explain what endometriosis really is, why it causes such severe and persistent pain, and why so many women wait years for a diagnosis. We unpack how endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus leads to inflammation, scarring, and adhesions — and how this impacts daily life.
The blog also explores:
Common (and often dismissed) symptoms of endometriosis
Why diagnosis is frequently delayed in South Africa and worldwide
How endometriosis is accurately diagnosed
Medical, surgical, and supportive treatment options available
How multidisciplinary pain care supports women with ongoing pelvic pain
Too many women are told their pain is “normal” or something they must simply endure. Understanding endometriosis is the first step toward validation, effective treatment, and better quality of life.
👉 Experiencing severe period pain or chronic pelvic pain?
👉 Been told your symptoms are “just part of being a woman”?
For many years, Lorna Munn lived with persistent lower back pain that gradually became severe, spreading into her buttocks and hips. Simple daily tasks — like washing dishes, making her bed, or going grocery shopping — became overwhelming and, eventually, impossible.
After receiving treatment from Dr Lizane Riekert at The Pain Collective’s Pain Clinic in Panorama, Lorna’s life has changed in meaningful ways.
Today, she’s able to do the things she once struggled with — managing her household, going out to shop on her own, and enjoying walks she couldn’t manage before. Most importantly, she has regained her independence and confidence in her movement.
💙 Stories like Lorna’s remind us why personalised, compassionate pain care matters.
We’re excited to announce that The Pain Collective Umhlanga clinic is now OPEN and welcoming patients!
For years, people across KwaZulu-Natal have been asking when our multidisciplinary, evidence-based pain care would come to the province — and that moment has arrived.
Our Umhlanga team is ready to deliver the full Pain Collective experience:
✔️ Interventional pain medicine
✔️ Multidisciplinary rehabilitation
✔️ Evidence-based chronic pain management
✔️ Contracted medical-aid tariffs
✔️ Guided clinical pathways focused on long-term relief — not quick fixes
📅 Bookings are now open — book your appointment while availability lasts.
📞 Call: 087 550 0644 or 021 300 0770
✉️ Email: info@healthcollectiveheal.com
Whether you’re living with back pain, neck pain, nerve pain, arthritis, or long-standing chronic pain, our team is here to support you every step of the way.
KZN, we’re officially here.
See you in Umhlanga 🌊✨
14/01/2026
🛎️Meet Chanelle Cupido — Hostess 📑
Chanelle Cupido joined The Pain Collective in September 2025 and works across three clinic locations as a travelling Hostess. Moving between sites, she helps bring a gentle touch to the patient experience, supporting both practitioners and patients wherever she’s needed.
With a personal understanding of the realities of chronic pain, Chanelle approaches her role with care, awareness, and professionalism. She supports patients through arrival and appointments, helping ease nerves, answer questions, and keep the clinic running smoothly throughout the day.
Chanelle plays an important role in shaping how patients experience The Pain Collective — helping ensure each visit feels organised, supportive, and thoughtfully run, no matter which clinic they attend.
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Our team started in 2005 with a simple neurosurgery practice at Medi Clinic Paarl. From there we grew in numbers and expertise as we learned and grew in experience. Team members came and went. Friendships were formed and lost as therapists and doctors came and went; but our patients saw our commitment to their care and became family members and stayed.
Spinal pathology is for the greater part a life-long sentence with ups and downs. With the origin of the disease in the genetic make-up of an individual, it is a wear-and-tear disease that progresses throughout the individual’s life. All treatment for spinal pathology is temporary. Be it therapy, medication, pain procedures or surgery. Nothing remains fixed forever in this scourge of modern humanity. Our lifestyles in turn are aggrivating wear and tear disease, leading to a pandemic of back pain and neck pain.
In the beginning we operated on a large number of our patients, following the available literature and teachings of the day. With time we progressively turned ourselves towards non-surgical solutions as the literature and experiences taught us that for the better part spinal pathology can be treated in a conservative manner, with equal success as with surgery, without the risks of surgery.
Today we are housed in the ultramodern Anodyne Pain Clinic on the second floor of the Panorama Healthcare Centre, just a corridor away from the Advanced theatre complex where we perform all our pain procedures. We have in-house physiotherapy, biokinetics, occupational therapy, movement therapy, dance therapy, counselling and everything else.
Basil Adriaanse, the enigmatic owner of Adriaanse and Associates Physiotherapy has practices all over the Western Cape and calls Anodyne his headquarters. He and his team have been taking care of our patients for as long as we can remember. Involved at management level in a multitude of healthcare concerns, he is a bright star.
Linda Hiemstra and her team from Back to Work Occupational Therapy , bring academic excellence and quality of care in a no-nonsense and caring way. There is very little about pain, the physiology of pain and also the psychology behind it that Linda does not understand. She and Basil are heavily involved in step-down and rehabilitation and have practices at several Spescare hospitals as well.
Carin Terblanche of Carin Terbalnche Biokinetics is the elegance of movement in our practice. Understanding the flow and balance of muscles. Two of the loves in her life, water and dance has led her to be instrumental in developing the global Limber Dance Therapy maintenance program. She is also heavily invested in hydrotherapy as a means of reduced gravity movement and release.
Our Anaesthetists, Dr Rozali Spies and Dr Christa du Toit are extremely experienced and have evolved towards pain management over the years. Equally adept at guiding a patient through a difficult anaesthesia or performing a pain-procedure, they form the backbone of the medical expertise in the practice.
Our Neurosurgeon, Dr Liebenberg, needs no introduction. Always treading where angels fear to tread, he has remained the Captain of the ship throughout the years. A man who is very happy to call a spade a spade, he wears his heart on his sleeve and always puts the care of his patients first, whether they have the insight to know that he is doing it, or not. The Patriarch to the thousands of patients of our clinic throughout the years and the multitude of therapists, he just always seems to show up when no one expects it.
We are improving and exploring new avenues of treatment for our patients always. The magic of the Clinic is that we genuinely care and worry about our patients. Each and every one is special in their own way, their quirks, their fears and their little habits. We care for all of them. Even the patients over the years, that have fallen out with us and have left, remain close to our hearts.
