Whether it’s headaches, abdominal pain, or unrelenting joint soreness, up to a third of young people in Australia experience chronic pain. Researchers from the University of South Australia studied how young people understand chronic pain, in hopes of helping sufferers “debunk pain myths” and better manage their symptoms.

Lead researcher and pain expert, Dr Hayley Leake says that where people think their pain is coming from matters, as unhelpful beliefs can prevent them from accessing the best care.

“Optimal care for chronic pain involves movement and psychological therapy. Yet these treatments can seem counter-intuitive if you think your pain means tissue damage,” she says.

“If we can identify what young people think about pain, we can figure out which beliefs are helpful, and which are not. Then we can use this knowledge to make better pain education for young people.”

The study was conducted as part of a larger observational study of children aged 11 to 17 with a history of chronic pain, with interview follow-ups six years later.

Of the 229 who completed the follow-up study, 189 (82.5 per cent) reported that they still experience chronic pain.

 Researchers found that young people tended to make sense of chronic pain by explaining it as:

• Something that is wrong with their body
• Associated with an injury that has not healed
• Connected to nerves ‘firing’ when they should not
• Linked to an overactive stress system

Dr Leake says while some of the themes provide helpful ways of thinking about pain, others capture misconceptions about how pain works, which can then create barriers to them getting treatment.

“We can see that some young adults believe that pain means their body has an unresolved tissue injury. This is not necessarily the case, as pain can persist when nerves become hypersensitive, despite no injury to body tissue.

“One way we explain this to young people is by comparing chronic pain to computer issues – the problem is with the software, not the hardware.

“By learning about the biology of pain, nerve hyper-sensitivity, and the role of stress, we can help people understand why stress management therapies can help, and why exercise is a good idea.

“Educating teenagers and young adults – as well as their parents and caregivers – about chronic pain and talking to them in the words and phrases they use and understand, is a first step to change.

“We know when adults with chronic pain learn about pain, they improve more than those who don’t learn about pain.”

Researchers are now creating a toolkit to spread awareness to share on social media and potentially in schools.

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