National Pain Week 2023 Blog

 
National Pain Week

24 Jul 2023


National Pain Week is Australia’s annual awareness event for chronic pain. National Pain Week takes place in the last week of July each year and aims to support and provide awareness to the 3.6 million Australian’s living with chronic pain.

This week The Hopkins Centre, together with Griffith Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability, has teamed up with Dr Nicholas Aitcheson, Rehabilitation and Pain Specialist, at Metro South Pain Rehabilitation Centre to raise awareness, further explain acute and chronic pain, how the body feels pain, current treatment options and lifestyle solutions.

Keep an eye out each day this week, as we share information, tips and tricks that can help you can create a new life path with pain and why you should do it.

Infographic tile for National Pain Week 24 to 30 July, including the Griffith University Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Logo at the top, vector graphic of a female with long brown hair in a teal blouse holding a microscope and clipboard next to a man with brown hair and beard holding his neck in pain. The bottom of the tile features The Hopkins Centre lockup featuring the logos Griffith University, Menzies, Metro Health South, Queensland Government and the tagline Bold ideas. Better solutions.

 

Acute pain vs chronic pain

Our upbringing often tells us that pain is associated with body damage and that we need to rest and get other people’s help to fix it. This works for acute pain, but in chronic pain we need to take control of our own lives, actively work on changing our bodies and minds and find new ways of existing, instead of trying to return to a life that we miss and are nostalgic about.

Relying on rest leads to deconditioning, isolation and weakness. Relying on other people can lead to dynamics of disempowerment. Similarly, relying on medications and surgery leads to reliance on interventions that promise only temporary relief and can have serious side effects.

Check with your health professional that you are safe to proceed (most people with chronic pain are sore but stable and are safe to move). Then gently and progressively start to actively create a new life for yourself.

The graphic below shows the difference between Acute and Chronic pain.

 

Infographic tile for National Pain Week. Heading is Acute pain vs Chronic Pain. Graphic of a man standing holding his hip in pain with red lightning style lines indicating the pain area. On left is a list of Acute Pain facts with the words: Healing with rest; Resolution; With life change pain improves; Care provides support, Passive treatments can help; Return to previous life. On the right is a list of Chronic Pain facts with the words: Stable – no improvement with rest; No resolution without acceptance; Without life change pain worsens; Active treatments more helpful; New life and flow forwards. Logos at bottom: Griffith University Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability, Metro South Health, Princess Alexandra Hospital and The Hopkins Centre tagline ‘Bold ideas. Better solutions’.


Chronic pain is like a malfunctioning, overly sensitive alarm system.

In acute pain our alarm system is working well. If there is body damage or the potential for damage, then we feel it and do something about it.

In chronic pain the alarm system reacts too strongly with only very small input. It is like a smoke alarm going off when you are cooking toast or a car alarm going off when it rains. The alarm does not accurately represent the threat to the body. Often in chronic pain, the body is stable and safe, but the alarm system is still going.

Infographic tile for National Pain Week 24 to 30 July, including a vector graphic of a clock with red lightening style lights coming from it. Text reads: In acute pain, our alarm system is working well. If there is body damage or the potential for damage, then we feel it and do something about it. In chronic pain, the alarm system reacts too strongly. It’s like a smoke alarm going off… The alarm does not accurately represent the treat to the body. The bottom of the tile features the Griffith University Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Logo at the bottom The Hopkins Centre lockup featuring the logos Griffith University, Menzies, Metro Health South, Queensland Government and the tagline Bold ideas. Better solutions.

 

The brain drives the pain

Pain is felt in the brain. What we are starting to understand is that our mood and the way we think about pain affects the strength of the pain signal that reaches our brain. If we are really worried about the meaning of the pain, then the pain tends to be worse. If you can successfully change your thinking around pain, then you can “decrease the volume” on the pain signal by affecting the pain signal transmission in the spinal cord and brain.

Infographic tile for National Pain Week 24 to 30 July, including a vector graphic of a grey circle with a yellow head and cloud with a red lightening symbol, indicating pain in the brain. Text is the same as in the caption abolve. The bottom of the tile features the Griffith University Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Logo at the bottom The Hopkins Centre lockup featuring the logos Griffith University, Menzies, Metro Health South, Queensland Government and the tagline Bold ideas. Better solutions.

 

Here are some thoughts that may be unhelpful and some ways to address them:

"My body is broken. It wouldn’t be so painful unless there was something seriously wrong."

Pain can exist without damage. Amount of pain does not reflect amount of damage. Think “sore but safe”, “hurt not harm”

 

"This pain means I’m never going to be able to do anything I enjoy again."

Think of the things you can enjoy now even with your current condition. Enjoy those things and gently find ways to expand the things you enjoy.

Infographic tile for National Pain Week 24 to 30 July, including a vector graphic of a man sitting inside a bottle of pills looking sad and with his head bowed. Outside the pill bottle is a doctor holding a clipboard and with a stethoscope around his neck. Text is the same as in the caption above. The bottom of the tile features the Griffith University Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Logo at the bottom The Hopkins Centre lockup featuring the logos Griffith University, Menzies, Metro Health South, Queensland Government and the tagline Bold ideas. Better solutions.

"My back is so sore that I’ll probably be in a wheelchair soon."

Pain is often not indicative of damage, especially not the kind of nerve damage that leads to paralysis.

 

"I might not be able to work for much longer because of this pain and then I won’t be able to support myself or my family."

These are reasonable thoughts to have, however worrying about them can make pain worse. Trying to address unhelpful, repetitive thoughts can help with your pain.

 

"I need to protect my body. That’s why I keep my muscles so tense."

Muscle tension in itself usually leads to worsening of chronic pain. Gentle relaxation and movement is much more beneficial.

Low mood, anxiety, excessive worry, poor sleep all increase pain as well, so dealing with these tends to improve pain.

 

Movement as a way to teach the brain

Sometimes our brain is unable to realise that our body is not broken and it needs the body to lead the way. 

Infographic tile for National Pain Week 24 to 30 July, including a vector graphic of a woman with yellow hair sitting on the ground with her head bowed and a sad expression on her face. She has a chain bound between her leg and a vector image of a brain. Text is the same as in the caption below. The bottom of the tile features the Griffith University Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Logo at the bottom The Hopkins Centre lockup featuring the logos Griffith University, Menzies, Metro Health South, Queensland Government and the tagline Bold ideas. Better solutions.

Slowly progressing activity with a relaxed and attentive attitude can help the brain to learn how the body is able to move in relaxed and less guarded ways. Tai chi, Feldenkrais, gentle yoga and qigong are all movement practices that can help in this way. Pacing yourself and slowly increasing your activity (rather than trying to go too hard too soon) can help with this approach.

Infographic tile for National Pain Week 24 to 30 July, including a vector graphic of a woman balancing on her hands with one leg resting on a barrel and one raised, another woman sits flat on the floor with one leg under a roller and another leg pushing down on a stretch band – both exercises are reminiscent of yoga or Pilates and are a remedy for pain. Text is the same as in the caption above. The bottom of the tile features the Griffith University Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Logo at the bottom The Hopkins Centre lockup featuring the logos Griffith University, Menzies, Metro Health South, Queensland Government and the tagline Bold ideas. Better solutions.

 

Find out more by reading the Pain Revolution fact sheets:

https://www.painrevolution.org/factsheets(External link)


For more information, contact:

Dr Nicholas Aitcheson
Rehabilitation and Pain Specialist
Metro South Pain Rehabilitation Centre

Nicholas.aitcheson@health.qld.gov.au

Infographic tile for National Pain Week 24 to 30 July, including a vector graphic of a doctor wearing medical white shirt, stethoscope around his neck and arms crossed. Text is the same as in the More Information details. The bottom of the tile features the Griffith University Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Logo at the bottom The Hopkins Centre lockup featuring the logos Griffith University, Menzies, Metro Health South, Queensland Government and the tagline Bold ideas. Better solutions.

Tags: Pain, Chronic Pain, National Pain Week

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