Conditions / Chronic & Persistent Pain

⏳ Chronic & Persistent Pain

Understand how persistent pain differs from a fresh injury, and how physiotherapy may help you manage it.

What is chronic & persistent pain?

Pain that lasts longer than a few months works differently to pain from a fresh injury. It often needs a different approach — one focused on gradual, sustainable progress rather than complete rest.

What can contribute to persistent pain

• An injury that has healed but pain hasn't settled
• Changes in how the nervous system processes pain over time
• Reduced activity and deconditioning
• Stress, poor sleep or low mood feeding into pain
• Fear of movement leading to avoidance

Common symptoms

• Pain that has lasted for several months or longer
• Pain that varies without a clear trigger
• Fatigue or low mood linked to ongoing pain
• Reduced activity because of fear of making it worse
• Difficulty with work, sleep, or daily routines

When to see a physiotherapist

• Has your pain lasted for more than three months?
• Are you avoiding activities because you fear they might worsen your pain?
• Has rest and simple measures not made much difference?
• Is pain affecting your sleep, mood, or ability to function day to day?

How physiotherapy can help

A physiotherapist experienced in persistent pain can help you understand what's going on, build a realistic plan to gradually increase activity, and support you in managing pain rather than being limited by it.

Treatment approaches

• Graded activity and exercise
• Pain education
• Pacing and self-management strategies
• Movement confidence rebuilding
• Sleep and lifestyle-supportive advice
• Goal-focused functional rehabilitation

What to expect at your first visit

Your physiotherapist will typically start by discussing your symptoms and history, then carry out an appropriate assessment. They'll talk through what they find in plain language, answer your questions, and work with you to build an individualised plan — there's no expectation that everything gets fixed in one visit.

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