Tips and advice for managing pain with a long-term health condition
Overview
Pain is the body’s natural defence mechanism telling us that something hurts, most injuries, both soft tissue and bone normally heal within 3 to 6 months.
Persistent pain is pain that has continued for longer than 3 months and is often due to a combination of factors, including:
A chronic condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Increased sensitivity of the nervous system. The nervous system becomes so sensitive it reacts quicker, needing fewer stimuli to generate a painful response. Pain often extends beyond the initial injury and site of pain because joining nerves also become stimulated and don’t turn off. Normal movement can become painful.
Not doing as much activity or stopping yourself from doing activities impacts on how we move; this often leads to stiffer and more painful joints and muscles, which can contribute to pain.
Pain can cause low mood, anxiety, anger, stress, weight changes, lack of sleep, all these factors can further increase pain and the sensitivity of the nervous system, affecting our ability to cope with the pain.
If you are experiencing new or increasing pain we advise you to see your GP in the first instance. If you have longstanding pain understanding your pain can be key to managing it.
The 6 key principles of pain science:
Persistent pain is common and can affect anyone.
Hurt does not always mean harm.
Everything matters when it comes to pain.
Medicines and surgeries are often not the answer.
Understanding your pain can be key.
Recovery is possible.
For long-standing pain see these pages on pain management:
