Flare Ups of Pain and Two Common Myths

Are you one of the many people out there that suffer with lower back pain, or other types of pain that seem to come and go at certain points in your life? We often call this a ‘flare-up’ of pain. You may have episodes of pain that come and go, or you may experience persistent pain that increases at certain times. If the pain you get is familiar and keeps coming back then this should help dispel a few myths for you.

At IPRS Health our aim is to put you in the driving seat with your condition and to achieve that we want to equip you with the right knowledge and strategies to manage these episodes effectively. We want to help you create your game plan! Part of that plan is improving your understanding around what is good to do and what is not. 

It is important that you grow confident in recognising your symptoms, so that you can put your game plan in to action straight away, however, if you have any doubts about the nature of your symptoms and think you may have a new problem then we would recommend you seek professional help.

Let's look at 2 common myths around flare-ups. 

Myth: During a flare up I should just rest.

Reality:  Absolute rest is rarely necessary and can create secondary problems such as deconditioning and joint stiffness. As always there is a balance that needs to be found with activity and rest to create the optimal conditions for things to improve.

Myth: A flare up of pain means that there is more damage to my body

Reality: Increased pain does not always mean increased tissue damage. Our understanding of pain has grown tremendously, we now know that pain intensity can be influenced by many different factors. Things such as;

• Stress
• Depression
• Sedentary behaviour such as prolonged sitting
• Sudden increases in physical activity
• Previous history of intense pain
• Poor sleep

If you have access to our Health Information Portal and want to read more about how to put a game plan together to manage flare ups, click there link here