Acute pain usually begins suddenly and is often linked to an injury, illness or medical procedure. It typically improves as the body heals. Chronic pain lasts or recurs for more than three months and can continue after tissues have healed. It is influenced by changes across the nervous system and by biological, psychological and social factors.
About one in five people in Canada live with chronic pain. It can affect physical and mental health, work, school, relationships and participation in everyday life.
Affecting bones, joints, and muscles (e.g., osteoarthritis, back pain).
Stemming from nerve damage or dysfunction within the nervous system.
Amplified signaling within the central nervous system where the brain and spinal cord process sensory input intensely.
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Chronic pain is influenced by biological, psychological and social factors that interact with one another.
This means effective pain care may involve a combination of medical treatment, physical approaches, psychological support, supported self-management strategies and attention to the social factors affecting a person’s health. Mental health and pain can also affect one another. Supporting mental health can be an important part of a comprehensive approach to living with and managing pain.
Neuroplasticity is the nervous system’s ability to change and adapt in response to experience, learning, injury and other factors.
With persistent pain, changes in how the brain, spinal cord and other parts of the nervous system process signals can contribute to increased sensitivity. This does not mean pain is imagined or that a person has caused their pain. Pain is real and is influenced by many interacting factors.
Because the nervous system can adapt, some people benefit from approaches that gradually build movement, confidence and a sense of safety alongside appropriate health care and other pain-management strategies.
Strategies that may support pain management:
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Living with persistent pain can be physically and emotionally demanding. Self-compassion involves responding to yourself with understanding and care during difficult moments.
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