💥 Flare-ups are a common experience for people who live with persistent pain.
A ‘flare-up’ refers to a 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺-𝘵𝘰-𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯.
🕰 Flare-ups may last hours, days, or even weeks and often there is no pattern to them.
It’s important to remember that flare-ups are time-limited and will end.
⚠️ The pain associated with a flare-up can come on suddenly and without much warning, which can be worrying and make it difficult to cope with.
Though they can be worry-inducing, flare-ups are a normal part of long term pain and not necessarily a sign that your condition is worsening.
(❤️ 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨!)
Living with persistent pain can often feel like being on a pain rollercoaster 🎢 where the intensity of pain may fluctuate over time with periods of more intense pain.
Flare-ups can be triggered by any situation, and varies between individuals.
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:
• changes in physical activity (amount, duration, intensity, or type)
• mental and emotional factors
• amount and quality of sleep
• changes in routine
𝘖𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦.
Although pain flares do SUCK! 👎🏼 There are ways to manage them to decrease suffering.
Identifying early warning signs, having a flare-up management plan, and learning about your individual triggers can be useful in mitigating the intensity of pain flares and over time, they may become less frequent and less intense.
If you’re struggling with pain flares, you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
Working with a practitioner who is knowledgeable in persistent pain management (like me!) can help.
Do you experience pain flare-ups? What do you do to get through them? Please comment below!