What is persistent / chronic pain?
Persistent, often known as chronic pain is pain that continues for more than 3 months, even after an injury has healed. Persistent pain may not respond to usual medical treatment. Sometimes persistent pain follows an injury or it may develop without an injury. Sometimes there is a specific condition such as fibromyalgia or complex regional pain syndrome. Pain may be in a specific part of the body or may be widespread. Everyone’s pain experience is different.
Living with pain can be really hard. It can start to disrupt daily life and often people focus energy on getting through the important tasks of the day, meaning things for enjoyment and relaxation start to fall to the bottom of the list. It is also common for people with pain to start to feel anxious, low and frustrated and sometimes people notice changes to their sleep.
Before assuming persistent pain, it is important to have seen your doctor and been told that your pain does not need further investigation. It is also important to see your doctor if you get any new symptoms.
How common is persistent pain and who does it affect?
Persistent pain is more common than you think. About 30-50% of people in the UK live with long term pain and it is the leading cause of disability in the world. We do not always realise this as pain is invisible.
What causes persistent pain?
Pain is usually the result of a combination of things and it is often not seen on scans or X-rays. In fact, it is possible to have a normal scan and high pain levels or an abnormal scan and no pain. We do not fully understand why this happens.
Pain is the body’s alarm system and the main purpose of pain is protection. It helps us to respond to potential dangers and react. The amount of pain we feel is not a measure of how much damage there is in the body, it is a measure of how concerned our body’s natural alarm system is. Lots of things influence how concerned our alarm system is and the pain we experience. This could be our mood, past experiences, tiredness, illness, worry, negative thoughts or activity levels.
Further information: https://www.tamethebeast.org
How can I help myself?
There are lots of things you can do to manage pain, and lots of resources out there to help you. Here are some ideas.
Understanding pain
Understanding pain can be really helpful. If we can understand what is happening we can feel a sense of control. For example. pain can cause fear and often people worry that activity may cause further damage. Understanding that activity is normally helpful for pain can really help. More information is available here:
www.flippinpain.co.uk
https://www.tamethebeast.org
Pacing
It is common that people with pain either start to do less or do too much. Or a ‘boom or bust’ pattern is common – periods of high activity followed by increased pain and less activity. We know these patterns are unhelpful for pain, and keep us stuck.
Pacing is about changing the way you achieve daily goals. It helps us still achieve the things we want to, but without flaring pain. When we pace we choose to take a rest from an activity BEFORE the pain flares up, rather than pushing ourselves until our pain flares up. Overtime, pacing can help us increase what we are able to do.
Pacing can give us a sense of control, we can feel like we are in the driving seat, not pain.
Relaxation
Relaxation exercises help us to unwind and release tension in our bodies. They can be breathing skills, relaxing images or relaxing the muscles in our body. They can help with stress, anxiety and tension. Many people find relaxation a helpful tool for managing pain.
Set some goals
If you have stopped doing something important to you because of pain, you could set yourself a goal to get back to it. Sometimes we cannot get back to it exactly as before, but we often feel better for doing it, even if it looks different.
Manage moods
It is common to notice mood changes when you live with pain. People often report anger, frustration, low mood and worry. If you are very worried about your mood you should always consult your doctor.
Some ideas you can try are:
- Notice negative and self critical thoughts and try to balance them. Ask yourself what a best friend would say if they knew you were thinking this way.
- Build a list of positive things you have done during the week, it helps challenge “can’t do” thinking.
- Be kind to yourself, plan activities for fun and enjoyment, pace your activities and do not push yourself too hard.
- Talk to your friends and family, we all need support and encouragement.
- Manage sleep
- Changing sleep can take a number of weeks but trying these ideas can help if you stick with them.
- Get into a regular routine during the day and at bedtime.
- Avoid resting in your bed in the daytime. Only use your bed for sleep and sex.
- Try to do some activities outside during daylight to help set your body clock.
- Make sure your room is the right temperature and is dark.
- Don’t watch TV or play with your phone in bed, use your room when it is time to sleep.
- Have a wind down routine before bed.
- Use relaxation techniques.
- Here are more websites with further information:
www.my.livewellwithpain.co.uk
www.paintoolkit.org
What if I need more help?
If living with pain is starting to get in the way of life or is causing depression or anxiety, then we may be able to help. Sessions are available in person in Morpeth in Northumberland or online. Get in touch today for a free chat about what we can offer.
