Chronic Pain:

1 in 5 Australians lives with persistent Chronic Pain.

What makes you feel chronic pain?

The feeling of pain comes from a series of messages that zip through your nervous system. When you hurt yourself, the injury turns on pain sensors in that area. They send a message which travels from nerve to nerve until it reaches your brain. Your brain processes the signal and sends out the message that you hurt.
Usually the signal stops when the cause of the pain is resolved. But with Chronic Pain, the nerve signals keep firing even after you've healed.

Which conditions can cause chronic pain?

Sometimes Chronic Pain can begin without any obvious cause. But for many people, it starts after an injury or because of a health condition. Some of the leading causes include: Past injuries or surgeries, Back problems, Migraines and other headaches, Arthritis, Nerve damage, Infections and Fibromyalgia.

Living with chronic pain:

Many people live with chronic pain 24/7. It is debilitating, exhausting and has an impact on all parts of a person’s life. Living like this takes courage and strength and could be referred to as “putting up with” the pain. The pain is in control and unpredictable.
Chronic pain can make it hard to work, take care of yourself and do the things you enjoy. It can also affect your sleep and mood. More than half of Australian adults with chronic pain become anxious or depressed because of their pain. It’s important to treat this if it happens. Just as pain can affect your mood, improving your emotional health and wellbeing can also help you manage your pain.

Managing chronic pain:

Chronic pain probably won’t go away just with medication. Most people benefit from a range of different treatments, such as:

• psychological techniques – you can see a psychologist or use online self-help sites
• pacing your activities
• physiotherapy
• relaxation techniques such as meditation
• exercise such as walking, swimming, cycling or tai chi
• improving your sleep.

If you need HELP with your Chronic pain, ring “ PAIN LINK HELPLINE “ on 1300 340 357.