Understanding pain

There’s pain that comes on quickly and usually goes away – this is called acute pain. Then there’s pain that lingers for a long time – often more than three months – and that’s called chronic pain or persistent pain.

Both kinds of pain use the same process in your body. Here’s what happens:

• When something in your body is damaged, it releases chemicals to start healing
• These chemicals also trigger pain signals, which travel along your nerves like electricity in a wire
• Those messages are passed from nerve to nerve until they reach the pain centre in your brain
• Your brain then tells you: you’re in pain

This whole process is meant to protect you. Pain helps you know when something is wrong, like taking your hand off something hot or not walking on an injured leg.

But with conditions like arthritis, your joints don’t heal in the usual way, so pain may not go away. If you live with gout, you may have intense pain during a flare, but it usually settles once the attack ends.

When pain sticks around, your nervous system can get stuck in ‘pain mode’. Your body might even start creating more pain receptors, which means you feel more pain, even without new damage.

This doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real. It absolutely is. It just means your nervous system is being overly protective.

Pain is also affected by what’s going on in your life and how you feel. Things that can make pain feel worse include:

• Being tired or not sleeping well
• Not knowing what’s causing the pain
• Feeling like you have no control over it
• Feeling anxious, low or stressed
• Not having support from others

You’re not imagining it. Chronic pain can take a real toll on your mood, your sleep, your relationships, and your overall wellbeing. That’s why many people living with long-term pain also experience stress, depression or anxiety.

Pain medicine alone is not the entire answer for someone with chronic pain. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Medication can help, but it’s only one part of the puzzle.

Learning about pain and how it works in your body can give you back a sense of control. So can building a good support team of people who understand what you're going through and want to help you live well.