What is a Pain Flare-Up?

💥 Flare-ups are a common experience for people who live with persistent pain. ⁣

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A ‘flare-up’ refers to a 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺-𝘵𝘰-𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯. ⁣

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🕰 Flare-ups may last hours, days, or even weeks and often there is no pattern to them. ⁣

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It’s important to remember that flare-ups are time-limited and will end. ⁣

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⚠️ 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. ⁣

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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!) ⁣

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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.⁣

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Flare-ups can be triggered by any situation, and varies between individuals. ⁣

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𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:⁣

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• changes in physical activity (amount, duration, intensity, or type)⁣

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• mental and emotional factors ⁣

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• amount and quality of sleep⁣

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• changes in routine ⁣

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𝘖𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦. ⁣

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Although pain flares do SUCK! 👎🏼 There are ways to manage them to decrease suffering. ⁣

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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. ⁣

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If you’re struggling with pain flares, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. ⁣

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Working with a practitioner who is knowledgeable in persistent pain management (like me!) can help. ⁣

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Do you experience pain flare-ups? What do you do to get through them? Please comment below!