There is wide variation in how pain is managed in the UK. Patients often find themselves caught in a sea of referrals while continuing to suffer with poorly relieved symptoms. Pain is not a reliable indicator of the health of our body’s tissues or the extent of an injury. For some of us this is quite different to what we might expect. Chronic pain can cause emotional changes. You may experience anxiety, anger, uncertainty about the future, sadness due to changed expectations and unmet goals, and even depression. Learn about what is causing your pain. Some chronic pain is the result of a known disease process. Rheumatoid arthritis is an example. The underlying cause of the pain is well understood, and there are established treatments for that condition. Medication taken to treat the disease process may also reduce the pain from the disease. Holistic medicine proposes that pain originates from messages generated by smashed cells or disordered nerve cells that feed into the individual's brain where the messages are interpreted in the context of the person's overall needs.

Pain treatment should be multimodal and include usage of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. You may find you've had to give up going places or doing things that you used to enjoy because you're afraid your pain will get worse. Or it might have become frightening for you to think about doing something new. Persistent or poorly controlled pain can cause distress, upset, tiredness and wind up of the underlying pain. Why is it that some people are resistant to pain? The aim of treatments such as Prolotherapy is to offer relief and then to enable people to return to previous activity levels

If we are in pain, we need comfort, support, recognition, and help if we are to make the best of our days in pain. Pain is a tricky subject - as it is often considered subjective and dependent on individual pain threshold. We damage our connective tissues all the time. This is normal. In fact, it is controlled damage that is at the very heart of why exercise is so beneficial. When the tissue is damaged, stem cells and blast cells are called to the area of injury. Growth factors are stimulated, and very soon the damage is repaired. You sprain your ankle, and then it heals. You break your neck, and then it heals. That is, unless it doesn’t. Tissue damage may or may not lead to pain, which is an unpleasant experience. Traditionally, the first step in treating chronic pain has been medication, including strong painkillers such as opioids. But these drugs can be problematic. Not only are opioids powerful drugs, they can have serious side effects and pose a significant risk for addiction when used long term. There have been extensive studies conducted on acupuncture, especially for back and neck pain, osteoarthritis/knee pain, and headache. However, researchers are only beginning to understand whether acupuncture can be helpful for various health conditions. Communication is another essential aspect in helping those close to you to understand the challenges you face in living well despite pain. It is helpful to tell people when you want them to help; or when you think it might be more useful for them to let you build your independence. A common misconception is that chronic pain is the same as acute pain, except that chronic pain lasts longer. But there are many differences between acute and chronic pain. In chronic pain there are no treatments that can shut the gate and keep it closed all the time. However, there are ways to close the gate as much as possible so that fewer pain messages pass through the pain system. Nerves function like electric cables transmitting signals, including pain signals, to and from the brain. Damage to nerves can interfere with the way those signals are transmitted and cause pain signals that are abnormal. For instance, you may feel a burning sensation even though no heat is being applied to the area that burns. Pain is most often classified by the kind of damage that causes it. The two main categories are pain caused by tissue damage, also called nociceptive pain, and pain caused by nerve damage, also called neuropathic pain. A third category is psychogenic pain, which is pain that is affected by psychological factors. The reality is that not everything, drugs included, works for every pain condition. Some work better for nerve pain while others work better for soft tissue damage or joint injuries. The rising tide of opioid-related deaths and development of addiction in the USA have highlighted the need to monitor pain-relief prescriptions more closely. Pain Clinics offer a wide range of treatments including medication, nerve blocks, manipulation, exercise and access to Pain Management Programmes (PMPs) to teach you self-help skills to control and relieve your pain.