Approximately 1/5 Canadians live with persistent or chronic pain, and this number increases as we age. Individuals experiencing persistent pain are often limited in their ability to work, attend school, participate in social activities or contribute fully to their family. As a result, these individuals may also struggle with mental health, higher rates of substance use, disrupted sleep, and overall decreased quality of life, amongst other issues.
We often think of pain as being related to an injury to our tissues, but pain is actually a very complex process that occurs throughout our brain, nervous system, and body. While injury to the body can certainly result in pain, there are other factors, such as our beliefs, fears, previous experiences, mental health, and stress that can also impact how we experience and process pain.
Although not always visible, ongoing pain can be significantly disabling and lack of access to comprehensive care can result in individuals feeling helpless and lost in our healthcare system.
What Can We Do About It?
There are a lot of tools we can use to assist in managing our pain – if we understand that pain is a complex process that has many different contributors, it makes sense that we will need to address multiple aspects of our lives to try to improve our pain experience. Here are a few things you can do TODAY:
1. Talk About It
This can include talking to a loved one, someone who also has had an ongoing pain experience, a trusted healthcare provider, or even a psychotherapist. Not only does talking about it help reduce the stigma around chronic pain, it also helps to identify your own barriers and needs, and implement tools to help improve your daily experiences with pain.
2. Move Your Body
We have plenty of research that indicates the various health benefits of regular exercise, but it also can be a useful tool when dealing with persistent pain. In addition to improving our aerobic capacity, building strength, and improving function, sleep, and mental health, exercise can create a hypoalgesic effect – reduce pain – immediately following the activity. While there is no consensus on what the best exercise is or how long these effects will last, finding an activity you enjoy and can tolerate, even in small bouts, can have a positive impact on your pain.
3. Learn More About It
Your beliefs, fears, stress, and anxieties about pain can all contribute significantly to your pain experience. Knowledge is power! Learning more about how pain develops and why it persists can help alleviate some of the fears around pain and empower you to take back control, especially when used in combination with other treatment methods, like exercise.
4. Calm Your Brain
Mindfulness, meditation, breath work, yoga – these tools can all be helpful to calming an overly sensitive nervous system that results in ongoing pain.You can use apps like Calm or Headspace, or even find various resources on YouTube to incorporate in your daily self care activities.
5. Get Some Sleep
Sleep is very important for our general health, and not getting enough can have serious physical and mental health implications. As sleep deficiency has been linked to increased sensitivity to pain in individuals with chronic pain, implementing sleep hygiene tools can be beneficial in improving sleep quality and may improve pain and fatigue. Working with someone trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) specific to sleep can help if you are unsure where to start.
6. Find Your Team
As clinicians, our goal is to provide care that is:
- Comprehensive
- Collaborative
- Individualized
- Evidence based
- Promotes independence
Ensure you have a team of providers that are interested in addressing all aspects of your pain and are willing to work collaboratively with you, and each other, to provide adequate care.
We love being a part of helping people improve their pain, function, and quality of life – if you are in need of support on your pain journey, feel free to reach out with any questions!
References:
1. Health Canada (2021). An Action Plan for Pain in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/hc-sc/documents/corporate/about-health-canada/public-engagement/external-advisory-bodies/canadian-pain-task-force/report-2021-rapport/report-rapport-2021-eng.pdf
2. Nijs J, Mairesse O, Neu D, Leysen L, Danneels L et al. Sleep disturbances in chronic pain: neurobiology, assessment, and treatment in physical therapist practice. Physical Therapy. 2018; 98(5):325-335.
3. Tan L, Cicuttini FM, Fairley J, Romero L, Estee M et al. Does aerobic exercise effect pain sensitisation in individuals with musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022 Feb 3;23(1):113.
4. Watson JA, Ryan CG, Cooper L, Ellington D, Whittle R et al. Pain neuroscience education for adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Pain. 2019; 20(10):1140-e1.