Pain is a common experience and can affect people in different ways. It may affect your movement, sleep, mood, confidence and ability to carry out everyday activities.
Pain can occur following an injury or illness, but sometimes pain can continue for longer than expected. Persistent pain does not always mean that there is ongoing damage to your body.
Understanding your pain and learning ways to manage it can help you remain active and continue doing the things that are important to you.
Pain is a complex experience. Your brain and nervous system process information from your body and your surroundings to decide how much protection is needed.
Pain can be influenced by many factors, including:
- Injury or illness.
- Previous experiences of pain.
- Stress and worry.
- Poor sleep.
- Low mood.
- Fear of movement or further injury.
- Fatigue.
- Activity levels.
- General health and wellbeing.
This does not mean that your pain is “all in your head”. Pain is real, but the amount of pain you experience does not always reflect the amount of damage to your body.
For many people, learning to understand these factors can be an important part of managing persistent pain.
See links below for advice on managing pain.