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Olympus Lifestyle Co

Condition

Chronic Pain

Pain that's lasted months or years and hasn't settled with other treatment? Pain education, graded activity and strength work that rebuild what you can do, alongside your GP.

Chronic pain, also called persistent pain, is pain that has gone on beyond the usual healing time, often for months or years. It can affect the back, neck, joints, shoulders, hips or several areas at once, and it can wear down sleep, mood, work and relationships. It’s frustrating to be told nothing is wrong when it hurts every day. The evidence is clear that there’s a lot that can be done to improve what you’re able to do, even when pain doesn’t disappear.

Understanding chronic pain

Pain isn’t only a measure of tissue damage. It’s produced by the nervous system as a protective response, influenced by what’s happening in the body, but also by sleep, stress, mood, beliefs and past experiences. When pain persists, the nervous system can become more sensitive, so pain can occur with less provocation and continue after tissues have healed.

International classification now recognises chronic musculoskeletal pain as a condition in its own right, including chronic secondary musculoskeletal pain that arises from persistent problems in joints, bones, muscles or tendons.

This explains why the same injury can lead to very different outcomes in different people, and why strategies aimed only at the painful body part often fall short.

Symptoms we commonly see

  • Pain lasting beyond three months, constant or coming and going
  • Flare-ups that seem to come without warning or from small triggers
  • Fear of moving or doing things that might hurt, and gradually doing less
  • Poor sleep, fatigue, low mood or frustration
  • Stiffness and deconditioning from reduced activity
  • Pain that has spread or become more widespread over time

Our evidence-based approach

Exercise and activity are among the best-supported treatments for chronic pain, and education that helps people understand pain can reduce fear and support movement. We combine these approaches, because neither alone is enough for most people. Our approach includes:

  1. A thorough assessment, looking not just at the painful area but at your activity, sleep, stress, beliefs and goals, and screening for anything that needs medical attention
  2. Pain education, explaining how persistent pain works in a way that makes sense and reduces the threat of movement
  3. Goal setting, built around what matters to you, such as walking further, returning to work or playing with grandchildren
  4. Graded activity and exercise, starting at a level you can manage and building up steadily, with pacing strategies that avoid boom-and-bust cycles
  5. Strength training, tailored to you, in our private gym once you’re ready
  6. A flare-up plan, so you know what to do when pain spikes
  7. Hands-on treatment where it eases symptoms and helps you move, as part of a plan that’s active
  8. Coordination with your GP, and referral to pain specialists, psychologists or other services where they’d help

What to expect: recovery timeline

  • First few weeks: building understanding and confidence, with small, manageable changes
  • Two to three months: many people see gradual gains in activity and function with consistent work
  • Ongoing: persistent pain is long-term, so the aim is to build habits and skills that you can keep using

When to seek help urgently

Seek prompt medical attention for new or different pain that’s severe or rapidly worsening, pain with fever, unexplained weight loss or feeling very unwell, new weakness or numbness, or changes in bladder or bowel control. If pain is making you feel hopeless or unsafe, contact your GP, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or call 000 in an emergency.

References

How We Treat This

PhysiotherapyStrength and ConditioningMassage

Q & A

Questions about Chronic Pain

What counts as chronic pain?

Pain that lasts beyond the normal time for tissues to heal, generally taken to be about three months, is considered chronic. It's very common: across studies, around one in five adults is estimated to live with it. It can start after an injury or surgery, develop gradually in a joint or the back, or occur with no clear starting point.

Does chronic pain mean something is still damaged?

Not necessarily. Pain that has lasted a long time often involves a more sensitive pain system as well as the original tissue problem, which is why the amount of pain doesn't always match what shows on a scan. That doesn't mean it's imagined: the pain is real. Understanding this can lower the threat the pain carries and make it easier to move.

Is exercise safe when I'm in pain?

Yes, in the right dose. An overview of Cochrane reviews found that physical activity and exercise can improve pain and function in adults with chronic pain, with few harms reported, although the quality of the evidence is low. We start at a level you can manage, increase gradually and plan for flare-ups so a bad day doesn't derail you.

Will learning about pain make it go away?

On its own, usually not. A meta-analysis of pain neuroscience education found small average effects on pain and disability, but a clinically meaningful reduction in fear of movement. That's why we combine education with graded activity and strength work, rather than relying on explanation alone.

Can you cure my pain?

We won't promise that. For many people with persistent pain, the realistic goals are less pain over time, better function, more confidence and fewer flare-ups. We work with your GP, who can help with medications, sleep, mood and other factors that affect pain, and we'll tell you if we think another type of support would help.

Let's get this sorted

Book an appointment to have your chronic pain properly assessed.

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