Newsletter Autumn Winter 2023 Final (24) - Flipbook - Page 21
Is it a bad idea to exercise with persistent pain
Exercise is not only safe for most people with persistent pain but is also one of the most
effective ways to control pain and increase your physical and mental health. A wellinformed health/exercise professional can help you find a way to be more active, whatever
your level of pain.
You have to take painkillers if you have pain
Medication may be necessary for some people in order to keep them well and manage
health problems. Painkillers however do not 8cure9 pain. In fact, although it might not feel like
it, painkillers are optional. For a variety of reasons, not everybody takes or wants to take
painkillers. Some people can9t take painkillers because of other health problems. Some have
tried them and found the side-effects weren9t worth it. Others have never found anything
that helped, and some people find that even though painkillers helped to begin with they
later stopped working and so chose to stop taking them. So the amount of painkillers
someone is on doesn9t necessarily reflect the amount of pain they are in, and vice versa.
Do I need opioids to reduce my pain
Some painkillers are based on opium (codeine, morphine, fentanyl) and whilst opioid-based
medications can be effective for short-term pain (such as after surgery or breaking a bone)
there is little evidence that they are helpful for the majority of people with persistent pain.
Long-term and regular use of opioid medication can cause significant harm. Surprisingly,
they can also actually lead to increased pain.
If you have severe pain despite taking strong painkillers such as opioids, it means
that they are not working and should be reduced and then stopped. Ask your GP,
pharmacist or other prescriber for advice and support to do this safely.
Will surgery get rid of my pain
Surgery can be helpful for some medical conditions. However, in most cases if you have
widespread pain then surgery on one part of your body is unlikely to make much difference
to your overall pain. Generally speaking, the longer someone has pain, the less likely it is that
surgery will help.
In fact, surgery is only indicated for a minority of medical conditions, and even then, not
everyone who has surgery reports great reduction in their pain or a complete fix in the longterm. Surgery can of course also be associated with significant complications.
Reference : Flippin Pain
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