Why do people feel chronic / persistent pain? (long term pain) 

We know that many patients who come to the Wirral Chronic Pain Service have been experiencing pain for longer than 3 months.  

We are also aware that many patients have had long journeys before being referred to this service, being sent for lots of medical investigations, which might still be ongoing, to find a cause for their pain.  

However, often these investigations come back normal, and everything with the body seems fine. This can cause lots of uncertainty, worry, and anxiety for patients as there doesn’t seem to be a clear cause for their pain. 

Pain can be confusing. You will probably find you have good days and some days which are harder. We can think of pain being a bit like a rollercoaster.  

Pain changes because persistent pain isn’t just about biological issues with the body like broken bones, tissue damage or injury. Many other things – including sleep, diet, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, relationships with others, stress, past experiences, work, etc - contribute to this.   

This is important because that means you have the power to make changes so that the rollercoaster flattens out.  

In summary, managing chronic pain is not just about giving you medication, operations, and scans. Why not watch this 5 minute video from Tame the Beast and see more about what our service does to support patients.