Does Fatigue Worsen Chronic Pain Or Does Chronic Pain Cause Fatigue?
- Jean Jordan
- Jun 10
- 5 min read
This article is asking you to ask yourself questions.
What do you notice most - your fatigue or your chronic pain?
Sometimes if we become stuck in chronic pain without the ability to see options, never mind find solutions all we have left are questions.
That's OK as before answers come questions.
Asking Questions About Your Chronic Pain
I'm tired, so my chronic pain is worse!
Or is it that I'm in chronic pain so that makes me tired?
This really, truly is a chicken and egg situation. You need to have chickens to lay eggs, but you need an egg to get that chicken to lay their eggs?
When you're locked in daily chronic pain it is impossible to know, or to break down the connection between tiredness and chronic pain.
After months or years it's just a cycle, a chronic pain roundabout you travel every day. Pushing through is an expression I hear from my chronic pain clients, a lot.
Fatigue is a word, often ticked on my induction form. Fatigue is a favourite, closely chased by anxiety.
So, what is tiredness?
Is tiredness a mental thing?
Okay if you don't sleep due to chronic pain, then I accept you can be physically tired as a lack of sleep is obviously a valid reason for having worse chronic pain at the same time feeling exhausted and tired.
Most of us will believe that being tired is purely a physical body symptom but why do we feel so tired without doing physical actitivty or strenuous exercise?
Research is now begining to show that feeling tired or the sensation of tiredness is the action of our brains.
If you think of occasions that you felt tired but got distracted by pleasant visitors or a hilarious program on the television, you couldn't stop laughing.
How To Manage Chronic Pain
Tiredness - I've expended all my energy OR have me and my pain over extended myself.
These are questions for which I don't have the answer, but I'd like you to think about.
Ø Is your brain making you tired?
OR
Ø Is your body making you tired?
Resting, taking a breath, will this help?
Learn techniques or ways to make changes to your thoughts
What if you can find something or some way that can relieve or reduce your pain levels? Check out the example below, a conversation I often have with women stuggling with chronic pain.
They must have a tidy, spotless clean house
Here is one technique I've often had discussions about - housekeeping!
If this applies to you're welcome to try it out. thought it does require a change in mindset, the way your brain things your house should look.
Reduce - it may be done slowly, step by step, or get others involved - that need to be or to have perfection, in your housekeeping, may impact chronic pain levels.
I realise not many chronic pain specialists will be asking you about housekeeping or feeling proud of your house and home. But as I said above it is an important key that may open pain-free or painless times in the future.
Memories, thoughts and habits are strange but valuable things. They can be either good or bad but sometimes changes need to be made - change those perfectionist neural networks in your brain.
I just like to end this blog with a story of my own and it brings in a memory getting planted in my brain that I cannot get rid of, as you've read above a lot of our thoughts and actions and rituals govern much of our day and hence influence the level of chronic pain that we have to live with.
How Memories Impact Chronic Pain
At the time I was living in Perth, post surgery that left me with chronic pain. Therefore I did what most of us do and end up, via the doctor, going to a chronic pain specialist. Actually, I visited two different pain specialists, each of them twice in fact.
The final appointment was with a professor, therefore top of the hierarchy in chronic pain specialists. This was a second visit. I shared with him the impact of the pain medication he's prescribed. I can't describe it as anything else but it sent me "doolally", I really felt everything was not right inside my brain after just a week of taking his recommended medication.
Therefore I said I didn't want to take the medication anymore. I hoped that he might suggest something else. Perhaps you have found yourself in a similar position?
Shortly after this he examined my arm and my shoulder, which at the time were not working very well, very painful and didn't want to move too much. As a consequence, this is what he said about not taking his prescribed medication.
He said,
"You'll be back in 10 years time and you'll be begging me to give you an injection to relieve your pain."
Now I'm not sure of the date and I don't quite think I've got to the 10 years yet. But you know the sad part is, I was lying in bed one morning, it was our national holiday so didn't have to get up.
That morning I could feel pain in my arms and shoulder mostly because I'd done a lot of gardening the previous day, however his voice and what he said came back to me and it was nearly 10 years ago!
UPDATE: Over 10 years later, definitley not in need of an injection!
Techniques to Change Negative Thoughts
Therefore, time for changing negative thoughts, techniques with some positive thinking and some breathing before I got up. But you know I really, really, really, really, wish that chronic pain specialist had not made that careless remark. It was really unnecessary. Of course I'm sure he doesn't remember it but unfortunately I do, sometimes, it only happens when my right shoulder decides it wants my attention.
I hope this article is prompting you to ask questions, first in your own mind and then you are ready to talk to a pain specialist who you can answer your questions!!
Need support for your changing your thoughts
NOTE: The above is the opinion of the author and does not diagnose chronic pain. If you have pain - visit your doctor to diagnose your pain.
Jean Jordan – about me
After over 20 years of owning pain clinics, I started Natural Pain Solutions (NPS) to reach more people, rather than one person at a time. After studying Postgraduate Pain Management & Freedom from Chronic Pain with Howard Schubiner, I want to spread the word about neuroplastic holistic self-help techniques people can use at home and healthcare practitioners can use in their clinics.
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