Chronic pain

Chronic pain is a medical condition that causes you to feel pain beyond a normal recovery period.

You may have chronic pain if you have lived with it for 3 months or more. The condition affects 1 in 3 adults in the UK and can have a serious impact on your relationships, ability to work and socialise.

People who have chronic pain often report that it takes a long time to get a diagnosis. This can have consequences for both their physical and mental wellbeing.

Chronic pain doesn’t always have a clear cause.¹ Sometimes it’s caused by another health condition like arthritis or endometriosis.²

There are also primary pain disorders, like fibromyalgia and chronic regional pain syndrome. This means the pain is the main feature of the condition, and it isn't caused by anything else.²

For some people, chronic pain develops after an illness, injury or medical procedure.³ Having one chronic pain disorder can also make you more likely to develop another.¹

Pain is a complex process involving chemical messages being sent back and forth between the body and the brain.³ Sometimes this process goes wrong and you experience pain without an obvious reason. This doesn’t mean your pain isn’t real.⁴

There are certain things that make you more likely to develop chronic pain.

Some of these things are:

• Being female
• Having a history of anxiety or depression
• Lacking social support
• Having a low income or being unemployed
• Being overweight or obese
• Having a sleep disorder like insomnia
• Smoking.¹

If you’ve been experiencing pain for 3 months or more and it’s not going away, talk to your GP.³ They will work with you to try and figure out what’s causing your pain and what might help.

You can also ask your GP for a referral to a pain clinic. These are centres that specialise in helping you manage your pain.⁵

Everyone’s experience of chronic pain is different, so management and treatment will be different for everyone too. If your pain is caused by an underlying condition, treating this condition will be part of your pain management plan.²

Some people find that medication helps them manage their pain. Taking any medication comes with risks, so it’s important to discuss the decision carefully with your GP or specialist first.

Over-the-counter painkillers are usually safe to take to manage pain in the short term. Follow the instructions in the patient information leaflet to make sure you take them correctly. Paracetamol is the safest option.⁶

If you’ve been taking over-the-counter painkillers for two weeks and they still haven’t helped you manage your pain, talk to your pharmacist or GP.⁶

Antidepressants are sometimes used to manage chronic primary pain. Even if you don’t have depression, these medications can lower your pain levels. They can also improve your sleep, mood and quality of life, all of which can help manage pain.²

Chronic pain is difficult to live with. It can affect your mental health and change your lifestyle. This can then make your pain worse.⁴

Talking therapy can help some people manage their chronic pain and the difficulties associated with it.⁷ There are a few different types of talking therapy.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you challenge unhelpful thought patterns. This can reduce your negative emotions and behaviours.⁸

Another type of therapy for people with chronic pain is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). It involves learning to accept difficult life circumstances, like persistent pain, and finding proactive ways to deal with them.⁹

A course of acupuncture can help with chronic pain. Acupuncture is a procedure where small needles are inserted into specific points of the body.¹⁰

We’re not sure exactly why acupuncture works for chronic pain, but it’s been shown to reduce pain symptoms with long-lasting effects.¹¹

If you’re considering acupuncture for chronic pain, you can ask your GP or specialist for a referral. However, not all NHS trusts offer acupuncture.¹⁰

If you decide to pay for your acupuncture privately, make sure it is provided by a qualified healthcare professional. You can search for qualified acupuncturists online.

Exercise has been shown to be helpful for managing chronic pain. Some pain clinics provide group exercise programmes.²

If you don’t have access to a pain clinic, you can practice gentle exercise by yourself. It’s important to do exercise you enjoy and make it part of your routine. Avoiding exercise on days you have a flare-up of pain can make your symptoms worse over time.⁷

Getting restful sleep is an important part of managing chronic pain. Sleep deprivation can make your symptoms worse.⁷

Reducing stress can lower your pain levels and make living with chronic pain easier. Make time for hobbies and activities you enjoy. It’s also important to maintain a healthy support system. Reach out to loved ones and try to spend quality time together.⁷

Physical therapy can help you manage daily tasks more easily and teach you activities to help reduce your pain.⁶ Ask your GP for a referral to a physical therapist or search for services online.