One topic that I can write about forever and ever is chronic pain, especially when it comes to questions people have about chronic pain. People without chronic pain have questions that they often don’t feel comfortable asking of a patient, such as, “Can chronic pain go away?” Most of these questions – this one included – have nuanced answers! Which is why I’m answering a bunch of them in this post.

This post contains affiliate links. | I am not a medical professional of any kind. 

What is chronic pain? 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, chronic pain is pain that “lasts for over three months” (x). You do not need to be in pain for every moment for it to count; some peonple are in pain constantly while others are in pain every day but not every minute of every day. 

I am in pain all the time, but I also have so many parts of my body affected that I don’t experience pain in every part of my body or every joint daily. My wrist might hurt one day and not the next, but on that next day I have pain in a finger or my elbow instead (or even in addition). 

Learn more about what chronic pain is in this post I wrote in 2022!  

Food for TMJ Flares: The Best Recipes To Help Heal

Can chronic pain go away? 

Short answer: yes, but “chronic pain” is such a huge category that the vast majority of people who say “I live with chronic pain” will never be pain-free.

Long answer: 

Technically it is possible for some people’s chronic pain to end. Whether it be because of an illness that has pain as a symptom or damage from an injury that causes pain – which is then cured by surgery or treatment of some kind – there are a lot of people who have chronic pain that never goes away.

For example, let’s say that I only had tarsal coalitions and I didn’t have rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, or endometriosis. My left foot started bothering me in September 2001 and I had 2 surgeries in 2009 that essentially cured my left foot pain. A few days a year I have pain in my left foot, but the rest of the time I don’t. If I only had a tarsal coalition in one foot, I would say that my chronic pain went away after recovering from that surgery. 

7 Arthritis Myths Busted: Do You Know The Truth? 

What are some different types of chronic pain? 

First, I want to remind you that this is a post about chronic pain and not acute pain, so I’m not going to describe all types of pain. 

Acute pain is basically pain that doesn’t last too long and goes away in a relatively short period of time. The Cleveland Clinic says, “Acute pain usually comes on suddenly and is caused by something specific” like a car accident or appendicitis (x). This doesn’t mean that acute pain only lasts a few days or weeks. Specifically, “Acute pain usually does not last longer than six months. It goes away when there is no longer an underlying cause for the pain” (x). Six months is a tiny fraction of time if you live 80+ years, but it’s an eternity when you’re living it. 

That being said, let’s talk about types of chronic pain.

Check out my tips for describing your pain to doctors here.

healthline says that bone pain is “often described as a deep or penetrating pain” (x). This is often due to “decreased bone density or an injury to your bone […] Bone pain or tenderness could be the result of infection, an interruption in the blood supply, or cancer” (x). This is generally the kind of pain that I have from arthritis.

The Cleveland Clinic says that, when experiencing muscle pain, “You may feel a deep, steady ache or random sharp pains” (x). Additionally, “Some people have muscle pain all over, while others have it in specific areas” (x). This isn’t the same thing as muscles that are sore from overuse. Causes of muscle pain include autoimmune diseases, infections, injuries, medications, or neuromuscular disorders (x). Muscle pain is also known as myalgia.

WebMD says that nerve pain can feel like a few different things. “For some, it’s a stabbing pain in the middle of the night. For others, symptoms can include a chronic prickling, tingling, or burning they feel all day,” (x). One example of nerve pain is CRPS, which is generally considered to be one of the most painful chronic conditions out there (x).

Nerve pain is unique in that it’s the pain signals themselves that are damaged. “Damaged nerves may send false signals — and you feel real pain, often without a cause,” WebMD says (x). “Damaged nerves may also result in you not feeling pain when you have an injury” (x). Nerve pain is also known as neuropathic pain. 

Tips To Make Independently Living with a Chronic Illness Easier 

Do you take medication every day or try to get by with heating pads, rest, etc.? 

I do both! The thing is, non-medication tools only do so much, and they are already essential components of my day. 

In this post, I talk in more depth about the non-medication tools I use to manage my pain, so I won’t go into too much detail now. But the tools I use for pain management include (but are not limited to): a TENS unit, KT tape, compression gloves, heating pads, ice packs, yoga, and chiropractic care.

On an average day, I tape my hands to support my most problematic knuckles. I wear compression gloves while working; I’m wearing them as I type this. Depending on the day, I start using my heating pad on my low back or my shoulders by 11 AM. I ice my hand at the end of some work days. Right now, I go to the chiropractor twice a week. I also try to do a little bit of yoga at the end of every day. 

Living with Tarsal Coalition: My Experience with Symptoms, Surgery, and More

This is how I deal with my normal, everyday pain, but these tools don’t do much for my higher pain levels or days. That’s why I take medication in addition to doing the above. 

Additionally, what works for one part of my body and one type of pain can be different for another part. For example, a heating pad and a chiropractor visit help my muscle pain a lot more than any medication does. 

It’s important to do what’s right for you, and if that’s medication alone, non-medication tools alone, or a combination, you should do what your body needs. 

I rely on a combination of medication and other tools. For me, neither is enough on its own.

What’s Chronic Pain? What You Should Know If You Love Someone with It 

Treating chronic pain vs. treating the cause of the chronic pain 

While no one asked this, writing the above section made me want to address treating your chronic pain versus treating the cause of your chronic pain.

If you know what is causing your chronic pain and it’s something that can be treated in some way, it’s important to treat the pain as well as treat the cause. 

What I mean here is treating my rheumatoid arthritis with a Rituxan infusion vs. treating my rheumatoid arthritis pain with the things I mentioned in the last point. 

Chronically Ill Tips: What To Do When a Doctor Isn’t Listening to You

RA is the root of my pain and so we treat that specifically. But treating that doesn’t really do much for the pain I’m experiencing right this second, especially since pain is a symptom of my RA. My management plan can essentially be broken into 2 categories: treating the cause of the pain (my autoimmune disease) and treating the pain itself.

Doing both is important! 

Not everything can be treated, of course. (Just because we have come a long way in the last 20, or 30 years doesn’t mean we are able to treat every single thing out there.) But if you have the option to treat the cause as well as the immediate pain, you definitely should. This can help you be in less pain on a daily basis.

What Is Considered a Chronic Illness? And Other Chronic Illness Basics 

Why do you dislike it when people suggest treatments for you? 

The short answer is that I’ve been in pain for over 20 years. At this point, you’re not suggesting anything I haven’t heard of. 

The long answer is that, because people have been suggesting things to me for 20+ years, I have heard every possible suggestion multiple times and I have tried most things (almost everything with a few exceptions). 

Imagine you have people – some you don’t even really know! – telling you the same thing over and over for multiple decades. How would you feel?

The other thing is that I have seen a myriad of medical professionals over the last 20+ years, both traditional and non-traditional, Western and Eastern. Do you really think your idea hasn’t been suggested by someone with more relevant experience than you? 

Plus, half the time when I get annoyed with someone for giving me unsolicited advice, they then make a snooty response implying that if I don’t listen to them I’m not really interested in feeling better. When someone suggests something, I know from experience that there’s a 50/50 chance they’re going to be annoying and rude. Is it ideal that I get snippy in response to that possibility? No. Is it surprising? Also no.

9 Ways To Advocate for Disability Rights 

Does mindfulness actually help chronic pain? 

Honestly? I’m not sure. While it can help you deal with the pain, it has not previously helped my pain. 

Dealing with the mental aspect is incredibly helpful and important, but I think people without pain think mindfulness helps pain because you can “positive think” your way out of pain, which isn’t true.

verywellmind says: “Mindfulness is the practice of becoming more fully aware of the present moment—non-judgmentally and completely—rather than dwelling in the past or projecting into the future. It generally involves a heightened awareness of sensory stimuli (noticing your breathing, feeling the sensations of your body, etc.) and being ‘in the now’” (x).

Mindfulness can be achieved through meditation, but meditation is not automatically mindfulness.

Mindfulness involves “paying attention to your sensations, feelings, thoughts, and environment in the here-and-now with an attitude of acceptance” (x). 

6 Tips for How To Accept a Chronic Illness 

I’m newly diagnosed with [insert condition here]. What would you suggest? 

First and foremost, every single patient is different. Even with the same condition(s)! 

That’s why one of my biggest pieces of advice is to do some research into what could help you with your condition and try those strategies one at a time. 

The reason why you don’t want to do them all at once is you want to know what helps you, what doesn’t, and what actually hurts you. If you do too many things at the same time, you won’t know what causes what reaction. 

Additionally, you should look into what is recommended you not do. There are some things that can make your symptoms worse, so you want to know what those things are. 

I also suggest you keep a journal of some kind to track your symptoms as well as what you tried when you felt those ways. I have a number of free downloads that can help with that and have this post to help with tracking your symptoms. 

Some things to keep in mind as you go on this journey: 

• I am not a doctor or medical professional of any kind (just had to reiterate it!)
• Ibuprofen is ideal for inflammatory pain and acetaminophen for muscle pain (x)
• Ice for inflammatory pain and heat for muscle pain (x)
• Compression helps a lot of inflammatory pain (x)
• If you’re trying exercise for your pain, it’s good to see a professional for guidance so you don’t hurt yourself when doing it
• There are lots of more natural practitioners out there, but since those practices often aren’t as regulated as Western medicine – at least in the U.S. – make sure you do your research before going to see them

10 Ways To Find Fibromyalgia Relief

Like this post? Share it! Then check out: 

9 Arthritis Products That Help My Rheumatoid Arthritis, What To Expect After Subtalar Fusion Surgery: A Patient’s Perspective, Arthritis Diagnosis: Diagnosis Stories + The Diagnostic Process Explained, What You Should Know About TMJ Arthritis