Can Physio help with Chronic Pain?

What is Chronic Pain?

Persistent pain that is ongoing and last for more than six months. It is pain that lingers even after the illness or cause has healed.

Overview

Pain is your body’s normal reaction to an injury or illness, a warning that something is wrong. When your body heals, you usually stop hurting.

But for many people, pain continues long after its cause is gone. When it lasts for 3 to 6 months or more, it’s called chronic pain. When you hurt day after day, it can take a toll on your emotional and physical health.

About 25% of people with chronic pain will go on to have a condition called chronic pain syndrome (CPS). That’s when people have symptoms beyond pain alone, like depression and anxiety, which interfere with their daily lives.

Causes

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes Chronic Pain. It often starts with an injury or painful condition such as arthritis, joint pain, headaches, strains and sprains, repetitive injuries, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, nerve disease, broken bones, cancer, acid reflux or ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, endometriosis, or surgery.

The roots of Chronic Pain Syndrome are both physical and mental.

Complications

Chronic Pain Syndrome affects your physical health, your emotions, and even your social life over time. The pain can lead to other symptoms, such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Poor sleep
• Feeling tired
• Irritability
• Guilt
• Loss of interest in sex
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Relationship problems
• Job loss
• Suicidal thoughts

Some people with chronic pain will take more and more medicine to manage their pain, which can then make them dependent on these drugs, creating an even bigger problem.

Prevention 

Because the causes of chronic pain are so varied there is no set treatment or prevention. A healthy diet and fitness level are recommended, along with maintaining treatment for anything that causes pain before it becomes chronic.

Treatment

Can Physio help with Chronic Pain

While it may seem counter-intuitive, maintaining movement is the best thing people with chronic pain can do. Movement helps the body heal and boosts the immune system, whereas avoiding healthy activities often leads to an increase of the problem and further loss of well-being.

Physios are experts who offer reassurances to their patients who fear that exercise will increase their pain. Clients with a very significant fear of pain, tend to avoid any type of movement or exercise. Pain is a protective mechanism – even if an activity feels painful, however, it is not always an accurate indication of doing harm.

Physiotherapists support people with chronic pain to improve function, achieve their goals and enjoy a better quality of life and should be part of every health team treating chronic pain.