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Chronic or persistent pain is pain that carries on for longer than 12 weeks despite medication or treatment. Persistent pain is common, affecting up to 43% of the UK population. This pain can sometimes persist following a specific injury or surgery, but this is not always the case, and can in many cases develop spontaneously over time. Often this pain does not indicate ongoing damage, even though it may feel like it.

The positive thing to remember is that there is a lot you can do to help yourself and have a better life even with persistent pain. Simple changes can often make a big difference to the amount of disability you can experience. This is called pain management.

Below you will find a list of resources with information, advice and strategies to assist you on your journey: