Pain is difficult to live with and everyone feels pain differently.
Chronic pain is a long-lasting and unpleasant feeling that can affect both the body and emotions. It lasts for more than 3 months and can be caused by various factors, including biological, psychological, and social ones. The term "chronic" doesn’t mean the pain is severe, just that it’s ongoing. Sometimes, chronic pain is caused by other health conditions, while in other cases, tests might not find anything wrong. This doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real; it just means it's worse than expected. This is known as chronic primary pain, and it can also come with other symptoms like fatigue, low mood, anxiety, and brain fog.
Some causes of chronic pain:
- arthritis
- injuries that do not heal properly
- back pain
- headaches
- fibromylgia
Chronic primary pain is a common problem in the UK and up to 1 in 6 peoeple are affected. There are many factors that can contribute to the pain:
- being female
- over 45 years old
- socio-economically deprived
- being unemployed or having a physical job
- cigarette smoking
- drinking alcohol
- inactive lifestyle
- multiple medical problems
- history or trauma or previous chronic pain
- poor sleep
- psychological stress
- medical and surgical interventions
- obesity
- attitudes and beliefs towards pain - those who are more active in recovery such as doing exercise do better than those who are more passive who rest and take medications
There are different things you can do to help you live well with pain and manage your symptoms. One thing might work for one person but not for another as everyone responds differently.
What you can do for yourself:
- learn about your condition
- set yourself goals - break these down into managable steps
- finding others in similar situations - local groups or online
- managing your energy levels - build them up slowly
- stay as active as you can
- relaxation such as medication
- improving your sleep
- doing activites or hobbies you enjoy
- trying to live healthy and eat well
- talking therapies for pyschological support - click here for information on the the local talking therapy service
- having a plan of what to do if you have a flare (worsening) of your symptoms
Keeping as active as possible can seem difficult and overwhelming but here are some helpful tips:
- take things slowly and at a pace that feels comfortable for you
- listen to your body and do what feels right for you
- consider joining a group or fitness class
- there is local support to help get you active. Please click here for more information
Medications can be helpful in the treatment of chronic pain. Antidepressants have been found to be helpful for people even if they are not depressed.
Medications like ibuprofen and paracetamol, which are good for acute pain, are not recommended for chronic primary pain because there's no strong evidence they help with this type of pain. However, you can have acute pain along with chronic pain, so these medications might still be useful at times.
Medications that were once prescribed for chronic primary pain are no longer recommended because evidence shows they generally don't help and can have significant side effects. This includes opioid-based medications like morphine and codeine, as well as gabapentin and pregabalin. If you're taking these medications and feel they aren't helping, please contact us via Anima so we can arrange a review.
Please click on the links below for some very helpful resources for helping you manage your pain:
Understanding and Managing Long-term Pain
Pain concern has useful leaflets, a helpline and forum to share experiences with other in similar situations
Versus Arthritis is a very website even if you do not have arthritis
Flippin' Pain to help change the way your think about pain
Live well with chronic primary pain can help you make decisions to help you live well with pain
For support on how you can help yourself these websites are helpful:
Live well - advice on living a health lifestyle