What is Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is pain that lasts beyond the normal healing time of an injury or persists for more than three months. Unlike acute pain, which acts as a warning signal of tissue damage, chronic pain often continues even when there is no clear ongoing injury or the original injury has healed.
How Does Chronic Pain Arise?
Today, around one in five Australians, including children and adolescents, experience chronic pain, and for those over 65, that number climbs to about one in three. Physical injuries are the most common precipitant, with sports mishaps, motor vehicle collisions and accidents at home or work topping the list. In people with diabetes, elevated blood sugar can irritate and damage nerves, producing neuropathy, a form of nerve-related discomfort. In fact, any event or illness that alters bodily tissues or nerve pathways can set off a continuing pain response. When this sensation persists beyond three months, we call it persistent pain. Other conditions that can lead to long-term discomfort include:
- Broken bones
- Viral infections such as shingles
- Major trauma
- Joint disorders like arthritis
- Back injuries or spinal surgery
- Cancer-related operations
- Procedures on internal organs (e.g. prostate or bowel surgery)
How Does Acute Pain Develop?
By contrast, acute pain emerges after a specific injury, illness or surgical procedure and functions as an alarm system, warning us of immediate harm. Common examples include cuts, fractured bones, childbirth and menstrual cramps. This type of pain typically fades once the underlying damage heals, usually within days or weeks, but never lasting more than three months.
Managing Acute Pain
Acute pain generally eases with adequate rest and a short course of analgesics, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, or, for major incidents like surgery or fractures, with stronger prescription medications as directed by a physician.
Assessment and Early Intervention of Chronic Pain
Early diagnosis is essential so that you understand what is happening to your body. It can be harmful if only the present symptoms are treated rather than the underlying cause. Once you have been diagnosed, it is important to quickly organise a treatment plan for your chronic pain, including a focus on the treatment of the underlying cause. You should seek help for persistent pain when:
- The pain has lingered for more than three months;
- The pain is not responding to usual simple treatment and;
- The pain is limiting your day-to-day function
Treating Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is managed like a long-term condition, similar to asthma or diabetes, rather than viewed as a fleeting symptom. The goal is to lower pain levels, enhance function, and help you maintain a fulfilling life despite the pain. Developing a comprehensive pain-management program often involves your GP alongside specialists and allied health professionals. To begin, reach out to your GP or a TerryWhite Chemmart pharmacist for tailored guidance.
Do I need medication to manage my chronic pain?
Taming persistent pain typically involves a blend of pharmacological and non-drug strategies. Since most analgesics relieve only about 30 %, 50 % of discomfort, it’s vital to consider other therapies alongside medication. In rare cases, extended use of opioids may sensitize your nervous system, making you feel more pain. If, while taking pain relief, you notice any of these signs, see your GP or pharmacist:
- You become unusually sensitive to pain
- Pain persists even after increasing your medication dose
- Previously painless sensations now feel uncomfortable
As your pain profile shifts, your prescriptions might need updating. Often, it’s safest to taper off one drug before starting another. Always make changes under the guidance of your GP or pharmacist, and aim for a medication review every three to six months to keep treatment both safe and effective.
What medications are used to treat chronic pain?
Non-prescription pain-relievers
Non-prescription pain-relievers can include paracetamol, anti-inflammatory pain relievers, combination products, complementary medicines, topical analgesic creams and specially compounded products.
Prescription pain relievers
If your pain is not controlled by a non-prescription pain reliever, your doctor can prescribe other pain relievers and medicines to suit your type of pain.
Which Pain Medication Suits Me Best?
Deciding whether to stay on your current treatment can feel overwhelming. It’s best to talk with apharmacist, who can recommend the most appropriate pain relief for you. When you meet, be sure to cover these points:
- What treatment options exist for managing chronic pain?
- How likely is each to be effective?
- When might I begin to notice improvement?
- What degree of relief should I expect?
- If it doesn’t fully eliminate discomfort, how will I know it’s helping?
- What goals should I set while using this medication?
- How long will I need to be on it?
- What dose and schedule should I follow?
- Are there any foods, drinks, or activities I need to avoid?
- What potential side effects should I watch for, and what should I do if they occur?
- How do I start and stop this medication safely?
- Are there non-medication therapies that could help with my pain?
- What additional measures can I take to support my pain management?
Chronic Pain vs. Acute Pain
Acute pain is usually the result of an injury that causes tissue damage or swelling, or from a medical intervention such as a surgical operation.
- In most circumstances, acute pain fades as the injury or damaged area heals and lasts for only a few days or weeks.
- Acute pain is considered normal as it is a necessary form of pain that acts as an alarm system, stopping us from doing things that could cause further damage to our bodies.
Chronic pain, on the other hand, is usually a result of an injury from which the body has “recovered”, but the pain sensation still remains.
- Chronic pain can be classified as pain that continues for three months or more and unlike acute pain, continues beyond the point of healing.
- For this reason, chronic pain can be quite distressing and can lead to other changes in the central nervous system and body.
If the pain of this type is addressed early, these changes can be reduced and people can return to normal function. Identifying what contributes to a person’s chronic pain is important when deciding the best tools to help. Pain relievers should be reviewed every 3 to 6 months. Your Pharmacist or GP can also help to identify the type of pain you are experiencing and the best treatments to suit that pain.