Persistent pain

Persistent pain, also called chronic pain, is pain that lasts a long time, even longer than we expect. It doesn’t always mean there’s ongoing damage, even though it might feel like it. The video at the bottom explains this in more depth.

Pain is complicated, and many things can affect it. Think about other common health problems like headaches, the flu, or diabetes. In these cases, we know things like eating well, sleeping enough, keeping fit and managing stress are important. And these factors also play a big role in coping with pain.

Persistent pain can feel like the pain is turned up really loud, taking over your life. But the good news is you can ‘turn the volume down’ over time. This can take time and patience and you ned to keep positive and work towards it.

Useful links

• The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (external link)
• The Living Well with Pain website (external link)
• 10 footsteps program (external link)
• The Honest Physios Pain Management Guidebook (external link)
• Flipping pain website (external link)
• Headspace App (opens in new window)

If you need more support to help manage a persistent pain problem, we can refer you to our Local Pain Management Service.