Helpful tips for treating chronic pain

Pain is more than being physically hurt. It can affect your emotional, social and spiritual well-being. It's also more common than you may realize.

About one in five Americans lives with chronic pain. When this pain isn’t managed, it can make daily life difficult. Simple tasks can feel harder, and it’s common to feel discouraged.

Abbas Asgerally, MD, treats patients with chronic pain at PeaceHealth’s Interventional Pain Clinic in Vancouver, Washington. He describes it as a vicious cycle: "Pain can lead to decreased function and activity, which can lead to worsened pain."

Here’s some good news, though: Advances in research are helping doctors better understand and treat chronic pain. There are also many things you can do to lessen pain on your own.

What causes chronic pain?

This may seem counterintuitive, but pain can play a positive role in your health. That's because it acts as your body’s warning system. It alerts you to injuries or illnesses, helping you avoid more harm.

In some cases, though, the warning system doesn't work right.

Chronic pain happens when pain signals keep going after the original injury heals. At this point, pain no longer plays a protective role.

What is chronic pain?

Chronic pain can last for six months or longer, even after you recover from the condition that caused it. It also sometimes flares up without a clear injury.

This kind of pain can affect any part of the body. Your symptoms may range from mild discomfort to severe pain that disrupts daily life.

“Many people also report trouble sleeping, depression or excessive worrying,” Dr. Asgerally says.” These added stressors make the pain worse because stress can also affect the nervous system, making it more reactive. As a result, the pain signals reach the brain in an amplified way.”

Chronic pain happens when nervous system cells called glia cause ongoing inflammation. This process makes your nerves send constant pain signals.

Think of the nervous system like the wiring in a house. If a circuit doesn't work right, a light may flicker on and off. In a house, an electrician can fix the wiring. But for chronic pain, doctors are still learning how to repair the nervous system.

Treating chronic pain

Even though the nervous system can be tricky to fix, pain science is improving every day. There are now many tools available to help you manage your condition. And not all treatments involve medication. In fact, only one in four people find lasting relief with painkillers.

The key is to break the pain cycle, which involves both physical and mental triggers. How successful the treatment is depends on where the pain is, how long it lasts and what makes it better or worse.

If you’re experiencing chronic pain, talk to your primary care provider or consider visiting a pain management clinic where different types of specialists work together to care for you.

“At a pain management clinic, we try to treat all aspects of the patient’s pain,” says Dr. Asgerally. “We review your medical record, medications and imaging to create a targeted treatment plan."

He adds that pain management teams draw on the latest scientific evidence to personalize each treatment plan.

“Our focus is interventions that can help reduce pain and also decrease reliance on oral medication when possible. Additionally, we go over the importance on multimodal care including physical therapy, appropriate medications, counseling and stress management.”

Tips for managing chronic pain

Here are some other activities that can help you manage chronic pain. Different methods work for different people. And what helps you one day may not help the next.

• Avoid negative self-talk: The way you talk to yourself can affect how you feel pain. Keeping a positive attitude helps.
• Exercise: Staying active keeps your body strong and healthy. Ask your doctor about safe activities, like swimming, which is gentle on your joints. Start slow and track your activity with a journal. Consistency is key.
• Physical therapy or occupational therapy: Some people find that PT or OT eases their pain and improves their range of motion. Share details about your pain with your therapist so you can set goals together.
• Massage: Massage can ease muscle pain. Let your massage therapist know where to focus to relieve your symptoms.
• Stretching: Try gentle stretches, yoga or tai chi if your doctor says these exercises are OK.
• Distractions: To take your mind off the pain, focus on activities you enjoy. Try puzzles, games, coloring, painting, working with clay or listening to music.
• Relaxation: Schedule time to relax each day. Add more time when your pain increases. Techniques to consider include:
  • Mindfulness meditation: Focus on the present moment. Many free pain-management meditations are available online or through apps like Headspace.
  • Deep breathing: Start with a simple 60-second breathing exercise.
  • Visualization: Imagine a peaceful place. Picture the sounds, sights and feelings, like the warmth of the sun or the sound of birds.
• Support groups: Sharing your experiences with others can remind you that you’re not the only one going through this.