4 - Medicines and surgeries are often not the answer

…by not just biological, but also psychological and social factors, which surgery and medications alone can’t help.

Pain needs to be managed ‘holistically’, meaning we look at many different factors including physical activity, education, nutrition, sleep and wellbeing.

When it comes to persistent pain, we know that things like medicines and surgery work for only a small amount of people, and only for short durations of time. We should prioritise longer-term plans that work for more people.

Medications and surgery often come with a number of really bad side effects. These can become a bigger problem than the pain itself, and can actually make our internal pain-relieving system less effective!

So, the best way to help yourself is to use lots of different but simple techniques. Start by first understanding your pain.”

– Deepak, Consultant in Pain Medicine