What is Chronic Pain? Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than you expect. It is also pain that often bothers you more than you expect. In most cases we count pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three months. The pain often has (much) negative influence on your work, social life and/or home situation.
What is Chronic Pain? The influence of Chronic Pain
It is extremely annoying to suffer from pain for a long period of time. We often see that pain is not only physical. It also has a lot of influence emotionally, in the following areas:
Pain and feeling
Pain can make you feel worse. Unfortunately, many people with pain complaints also suffer from anxiety or depression after a while. Conversely, anxiety and depression can also increase the pain felt. A good mood is very important to keep a grip on pain.
Pain and behaviour
In general, two patterns are common when we are in pain (for a long time). We do too much and go over our limits, or we do too little and are therefore not active enough. Sometimes it is a mix, in which we are alternately too active and too passive. It is very important to find a balance in this. So be moderately active in pain, and at other times not too extreme.
Pain and attention
The more attention you pay to pain, the stronger it feels. By consciously directing the attention away from the pain, the pain gets less space.
Pain and thoughts
Pain can cause your head to be filled with negative thoughts. Besides your question 'What is Chronic Pain?', thoughts like 'Maybe it will never go away', or 'no one can help me' are common. These thoughts, in turn, can make you feel worse and influence your pain.
What can I do about it myself?
The good news is: fortunately there is something I can do about all these things. Pain arises in the brain and the brain can be trained to deal with pain in a different way! On this blog you will find lots of exercises and tips, but you can also take a look at our Virtual Reality training Reducept for Chronic Pain. I hope this blog will give you a good answer to your question: 'What is Chronic Pain?
