Persistent (or chronic) pain is pain that has not subsided within an expected healing time.  Usually this time is around three months.

This pain is common.  Up to 1 in 5 people experience persistent pain.

It can be due to many causes.

Some of these are due to medical conditions (for example, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, multiple sclerosis), persistent pain post-surgery, procedure or trauma (for example nerve injury following a motor vehicle accident) or nervous system overactivity and inflammation (for example complex regional pain syndrome).

Every person’s pain experience is individual.  Persistent pain is not able to be seen by another person, therefore it is difficult for some people to understand.  There are no tests that can measure pain.

Find out the conditions we treat


Pain has an enormous impact on your life.

  • It has the ability to impair your independence, and stop you from doing what you love.
  • It can impair your return to work and social activities.
  • It can interfere with sleep.
  • It can affect your mood.

Chronic pain can be reduced through modulating your nervous system.  This can be done with integrative, thoughtful pharmacological and interventional treatments.  Such complex problems often requires the expertise of carers from multiple health care disciplines working together as a team.

Brisbane Pain Medicine Specialists work as part of your healthcare team to manage your pain and allow you to achieve the best function possible.

Read some of the Latest Advances in Pain Medicine


Further Information

BOOKS

  • Manage Your Pain. 3rd ABC Books [Michael Nicholas et al]
  • Explain Pain. 2nd Noigroup [David Butler, Lorimer Moseley]
  • The Brain that Changes Itself. Scribe. [Norman Doidge]

VIDEOS

WEBSITES

http://fpm.anzca.edu.au/patients

http://www.skip.org.au

https://www.aci.health.nsw.gov.au/chronic-pain

http://www.painaustralia.org.au

http://chronicpainaustralia.org.au/index.php

https://www.painmanagement.org.au

https://www.iasp-pain.org

https://www.apsoc.org.au