What is chronic pain? Symptoms, causes and treatments

Chronic pain can often affect your quality of life. Being in pain can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Being sleep deprived can make it harder for your body to regulate its pain response. In other words, insomnia can make your pain feel worse as well as make pain last longer.⁷

Chronic pain can hold you back from participating in activities that you once loved. It can change how you view yourself and alter your self-esteem. This is why chronic pain can lead to mood disorders like depression and anxiety. That’s part of why we at Voltaren firmly believe in helping you regain your joy in day-to-day activities. (Of course, always be sure to read the label of any medication you begin using.)

Indirect symptoms associated with chronic pain include⁸:

• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Mood changes
• Lack of appetite

Causes of chronic pain

What causes chronic pain? Chronic pain is typically caused by an underlying and ongoing chronic illness, such as temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), multiple sclerosis, endometriosis, or fibromyalgia, to name a few common causes of chronic pain⁹.

Chronic pain can also be caused by previous injury, possibly from resulting nerve damage. In some cases, however, people may experience chronic pain without previous injury or illness. The reasons for this kind of chronic pain are not well understood¹⁰.

Ongoing joint pain or conditions like osteoarthritis are examples of chronic pain. Acute pain, on the other hand, is categorized as sudden and severe discomfort. So, if you cut your finger with a knife while pretending you’re the next Top Chef, don’t fret. Painful injuries like these usually go away within a relatively short period of time.

Risk factors for chronic pain include:

Demographic: - Age, Gender, Ethnicity and cultural background Socio-economic background, Employment status and occupational factors.

Lifestyle and behaviour: - Smoking, Alcohol, Physical activity, Nutrition, Sunshine and vitamin D.

Clinical: - Pain, Multi-morbidity and mortality, Mental health, Surgical and medical interventions, Weigh,t Sleep disorders, Genetics.

Other: - Attitudes and beliefs about pain, History of violent injury, abuse, or interpersonal violence.¹

Women present more often with chronic pain than men do, although researchers are still working to figure out why.¹¹

Visit your healthcare professional to best understand what causes your chronic pain.

Together, you can tailor a path of treatment that works for you and addresses your underlying causes of chronic pain.

Treatment of chronic pain

Treating chronic pain can help you regain your joy of movement, so you can feel a little bit more like yourself again.

Medicated pain treatments include:

1. NSAIDs

NSAIDs like diclofenac, the active ingredient in Voltaren’s oral tablets, gels and medicated patches can be effective at relieving some types of pain, including the painful flare ups that people with chronic pain can experience. Many NSAIDs are available over the counter. Always follow the product instructions.

2. Muscle relaxants

Muscle relaxants may be prescribed by your physician. They can help alleviate painful muscle spasms.

3. Opioids

Opioids are powerful pain killers. However, they carry with them a high risk of addiction and dependency. Discuss carefully with your physician.

There are lots of things that can help to keep you moving without medication. Non-medicated chronic pain treatments include:

1. De-stress

Stress can make chronic pain worse.¹² Relaxation techniques may help you reduce stress in your life and might help to lessen pain.¹³ They may also improve your quality of sleep, which has a large impact on chronic pain.¹⁴

2. Self-care

Eating well and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can contribute to overall wellness. Maintaining a healthy body weight can take physical strain off your body, thereby helping to ease pain.

3. Physical therapy

Physical therapy, using techniques such as stretching exercises and massage, may help ease chronic pain. This can help to strengthen the muscles around your joints, which will help support them and prevent problems. The goal of physical therapy is to increase your strength and flexibility gradually, so you get back on your feet.¹⁵

4. TENS

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a safe, easy to use, drug-free method of managing pain. A very low level electrical current is applied to areas of the body using soft gel pads that stick to the skin. The low level electrical current stimulates nerves in the body that help to reduce pain.¹⁶

5. Light exercise

Light exercise can strengthen your muscles, relieving pressure on your joints. This can help decrease pain in your joints.¹⁷ One of the benefits of regular exercise is that it reduces the risk of and can improve symptoms of chronic disease, like diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and back or joint pain.¹⁸ Weight management, a frequent result of exercise, can also help reduce joint pain.

6. Stretching

Stretching keeps your muscles loose, which can relieve pressure on your joints. A regular stretching routine can keep your muscles strong and healthy, resulting in increased range of motion.¹⁹ Check out our stretches for knee pain and stretches for back pain.

If your pain isn’t serious and is a type that you and your health care provider deem can be managed by yourself, it’s important to get on top of it so it doesn’t hold you back from getting on with life. That way you can regain a sense of yourself and once again enjoy doing the things you love.