Chronic Pain, and Trauma, how the body holds on.
- Kerry Hampton
- May 25
- 13 min read
Updated: May 29
Chronic pain and trauma aren’t just related, they are deeply interwoven, reinforcing each other in ways that can make recovery feel impossible. Trauma, whether physical or emotional, alters how the brain and nervous system process pain, meaning past distress can turn into chronic pain, and chronic pain itself can create a trauma-like response in the body.
NHS Inform “Chronic pain is a common condition affecting over one third of adults in the UK.
Chronic pain is pain that continues for longer than 3 months, either as part of another health condition, or despite investigations and treatment.”
Acute vs. Chronic Pain: Understanding the Differences
Pain isn’t just about intensity, it’s about duration, cause, and how the body responds. While both acute and chronic pain can be severe, they function differently in the body.
Acute Pain: Short-Term, Protective, and Temporary
Cause – Usually due to injury, surgery, infection, or inflammation.
Duration – Lasts days to weeks, resolving when the body heals.
Purpose – Acts as a warning system, alerting the body to harm.
Examples – A sprained ankle, surgical recovery, burns, or broken bones.
Think of acute pain as a fire alarm, it’s loud and distressing, but once the fire is out (injury heals), the alarm stops.
Chronic Pain: Long-Term, Persistent, and Complex
Cause – May stem from injuries that never fully heal, nerve damage, illness, or unknown factors.
Duration – Lasts months to years, often beyond expected healing time.
Purpose – No longer protective, the nervous system stays in “pain mode”, even when no injury exists.
Examples – Arthritis, fibromyalgia, nerve damage, migraines, or long-term back pain.
Think of chronic pain as a malfunctioning alarm, even after the danger is gone, the alarm keeps ringing, disrupting daily life.
Key Differences at a Glance
Aspect | Acute Pain | Chronic Pain |
Cause | Injury, surgery, or temporary illness | Ongoing condition, nerve dysfunction, or unresolved trauma |
Duration | Short-term (days to weeks) | Long-term (months to years) |
Purpose | Protective—alerts body to harm | No longer protective—pain persists unnecessarily |
Treatment | Painkillers, rest, recovery-based care | Long-term management, nerve retraining, psychological support |
How Chronic Pain Can Start as Acute Pain
Many people develop chronic pain after an acute injury or illness, when the nervous system fails to reset after healing.
Example: A car accident may cause short-term acute pain from a broken bone, but if the nerves misfire, it can turn into chronic pain that lasts years beyond physical healing.
Acute pain is a warning system, it comes and goes with healing. Chronic pain is a long-term condition, where pain persists even when the original injury or illness is gone. Understanding the difference helps guide treatment options and coping strategies, whether for temporary recovery or lifelong pain management.
Causes of Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can stem from injuries, illnesses, nerve damage, or even unknown factors. Some of the most common causes include:
Long-Term Medical Conditions
Arthritis – Inflammation in the joints leading to persistent pain.
Fibromyalgia – A condition causing widespread pain, fatigue, and sensitivity.
Neuropathy – Nerve damage from diabetes, infections, or injuries.
Autoimmune Diseases – Conditions like lupus or multiple sclerosis can trigger chronic pain.
Injuries That Never Fully Heal
Back or Neck Injuries – Damage to muscles, discs, or nerves can cause lasting pain.
Fractures & Sprains – Some injuries heal improperly, leading to chronic discomfort.
Surgical Complications – Scar tissue or nerve damage from surgery can create ongoing pain.
Nervous System Dysfunction
Centralized Pain Syndrome – The brain and spinal cord misinterpret pain signals, keeping pain active even after healing.
Chronic Migraines – Recurring headaches caused by nerve sensitivity and inflammation.
Phantom Limb Pain – Pain in a limb that has been amputated, due to nerve misfiring.
Inflammation & Hormonal Imbalances
Endometriosis – Tissue growth outside the uterus causing severe pelvic pain.
Chronic Infections – Lingering infections can lead to inflammation and pain.
Thyroid Disorders – Hormonal imbalances can cause muscle and joint pain.
Psychological & Emotional Factors
Trauma & PTSD – Emotional distress can heighten pain sensitivity.
Depression & Anxiety – Mental health struggles can amplify physical pain.
Stress-Induced Pain – Chronic stress keeps muscles tense, leading to pain.
Chronic pain is complex and deeply personal, often requiring a combination of medical, physical, and emotional approaches for management.
How Trauma Can Lead to Chronic Pain
Trauma doesn’t just leave emotional scars, it reprograms the nervous system, making the body more reactive to pain, stress, and discomfort. Here’s how trauma can cause chronic pain:
The Nervous System Gets "Stuck" – Trauma puts the body into fight-or-flight mode, and when this response doesn’t turn off, pain lingers, even after an injury or illness heals.
Inflammation and Pain Sensitivity Increase – The body's stress hormones cause higher inflammation, which makes pain worse and slows recovery.
Hormonal Effects - The hormones we release in stressful situations can also have an impact. For example, when cortisol is being released continuously this increases our blood pressure and blood sugar, which can then reduce our immune system’s ability to heal. The adrenal glands (that produces cortisol and adrenaline) can become exhausted from overuse. This can raise your prolactin levels, which is a hormone that helps to regulate pain, increasing your sensitivity to pain
The Brain Misinterprets Pain Signals – Trauma affects the pain receptors, making the brain overreact to normal sensations, interpreting them as threats.
Stored Emotional Trauma Becomes Physical Pain – Unprocessed trauma can tighten muscles, especially in the jaw, shoulders, and back, causing chronic tension and discomfort.
Grief Can Manifest as Physical Pain – Emotional pain from loss, stress, or unresolved trauma can turn into headaches, digestive issues, IBS symptoms, and muscle tightness.
PTSD Can Trigger Chronic Pain – Anxiety or flashbacks can lead to back pain, joint pain, and autoimmune flare-ups due to stress-induced muscle rigidity.
Example: Someone who survived a traumatic accident may still experience phantom pain, migraines, and muscle tightness years later, even though their injuries have healed, because their nervous system never stopped sending pain signals.
How Chronic Pain Can Lead to Trauma
On the flip side, living with daily pain can become a traumatic experience. The unpredictability, exhaustion, and emotional toll can rewire the brain, making everything feel harder to cope with.
Loss of Control – Chronic pain makes people feel powerless over their own body and uncertain about the future.
Loss of Autonomy – Pain can rob a person of independence, making even small tasks feel impossible.
Sexual function - Being in pain and experiencing fatigue can reduce libido and for some, can even make sex painful. This can be difficult to deal with
Medical Trauma – Misdiagnoses, dismissive doctors, failed treatments, and painful medical procedures can create lasting emotional distress.
Social Isolation – Pain can make it harder to work, socialize, or maintain relationships, leading to loneliness and withdrawal.
Deconditioning - because those with chronic pain may fear making their pain worse, they might withdraw from physical activity like exercising. This can lead to the muscles becoming weaker because they aren’t being used (called deconditioning). They may also avoid putting weight on that area and use other areas of the body to compensate, potentially straining those muscles and causing pain to develop there from overuse.
Grief Over Lost Health – Many experience deep sadness over what they can no longer do, creating emotional wounds that don’t heal.
Depression – Long-term pain can lead to hopelessness, loss of motivation, and emotional exhaustion.
Anxiety – Constant worry about pain, flare-ups, and limitations can cause heightened stress and fear.
Post-Traumatic Stress – If pain stems from a traumatic event, it can trigger flashbacks, panic, and emotional distress.
Sleep Disruptions – Pain can make falling asleep difficult, leading to fatigue, mood swings, and cognitive fog.
Substance Use Risks – Some individuals turn to medications or alcohol to cope, increasing the risk of dependency.
Fight-or-Flight Gets Stuck in "On" Mode – The nervous system stays in stress mode, making pain feel more intense and recovery harder.
Suicide Ideation - Research shows that, “individuals with chronic pain are at least twice as likely to report suicidal behaviours or to complete suicide”. It is not the servility of the pain that is the increased risk factor but how patients perceive and experience their pain. But the want to “escape the pain” can be a motivator to go through with suicide, along with the other impacts already stated.
Example: A once-active person who develops chronic pain may struggle with losing the ability to exercise, work, or engage in hobbies, leading to grief and depression, which can worsen pain over time.
The Stigma of Chronic Pain: When an Invisible Disability is Dismissed
Because chronic pain is often unseen, it can be misunderstood and invalidated. Many people facing chronic pain are told it’s “all in their head”, accused of attention-seeking, or unfairly labelled as lazy. These dismissive attitudes can be deeply damaging, leading to self-doubt, frustration, and reluctance to seek medical care. When pain isn’t believed or properly supported, it not only affects physical health but also mental well-being, making an already difficult condition even harder to manage.
The Brain and Chronic Pain: How It Processes and Maintains Pain Signals
Chronic pain isn’t just a physical sensation, it’s deeply connected to the brain and nervous system, shaping how pain is felt, processed, and interpreted over time. Unlike acute pain, which typically fades once an injury heals, chronic pain sticks around because the brain continues to send pain signals, even when there’s no ongoing damage.
How the Brain Interprets Chronic Pain
Pain Signals and the Nervous System – Pain messages travel through nerves, the spinal cord, and into the brain, where they are processed and categorized.
The Role of the Amygdala & Prefrontal Cortex – The amygdala, responsible for emotional responses, and the prefrontal cortex, which manages decision-making, play a role in how pain is perceived and emotionally processed.
Neuroplasticity & Pain Memory – The brain adapts to repeated pain by reinforcing pain pathways, making pain feel more intense and harder to shut off over time.
Why Chronic Pain Can Persist Even After Healing
Pain Sensitization (Central Sensitization) – Over time, the brain and nerves become hypersensitive, reacting to normal sensations as if they were painful.
Inflammatory Response in the Brain – Long-term pain keeps the brain inflamed, affecting memory, emotions, and even worsening pain perception.
The Nervous System Stays in Fight-or-Flight Mode – Chronic pain puts the nervous system into constant stress, making recovery harder and keeping the body in high alert. Psychological & Emotional Influence – Anxiety, depression, and trauma can increase pain sensitivity, making chronic pain feel more intense.
Chronic pain isn’t just a physical issue, it’s a nervous system response, shaped by the brain’s ability to remember, process, and amplify pain signals over time. By working with the brain, rather than against it, pain management can become more effective and less overwhelming.
Not All Chronic Pain Can Be Cured, And That Reality Can Be Traumatic
For many, chronic pain is lifelong, requiring ongoing management rather than a cure. This reality itself can be deeply traumatic, shaping how someone moves through the world, interacts with others, and copes emotionally. Whether it’s chronic illness, autoimmune disorders, neurological conditions, or infertility, the grief of knowing that this won’t go away can be profound.
Lifelong Diagnosis: Grieving the Life You Expected
Being diagnosed with a lifelong condition, one that requires ongoing management but may never be cured, can feel like losing control over your own body and future. People often experience:
Loss of identity – Who am I, if I can’t do what I once loved?
Uncertainty about the future – How will this impact relationships, career, or happiness?
Frustration with limitations – The body no longer works the way it used to, leading to resentment.
Medical trauma – Ongoing appointments, tests, and procedures can be exhausting and triggering.
Example: A once-active athlete diagnosed with a progressive autoimmune disease may struggle with accepting physical limitations, grieving their past abilities, and fearing how their condition will develop over time.
Sometimes, the mind struggles to register the reality of chronic illness, clinging to past expectations and pushing the body beyond its limits. Before illness, effort and determination were enough to accomplish tasks, but now, the body operates under different rules, ones the brain may not yet fully accept.
This disconnect creates frustration, exhaustion, and even physical setbacks, as the mind pushes forward while the body resists. Overexertion can trigger flares, increased pain, and emotional burnout, reinforcing cycles of guilt and self-blame. The key to managing this disconnect isn’t forcing the body to meet old expectations but adjusting those expectations to meet the body where it is today. Healing is not about ignoring limits but learning to listen, pace, and respect the body's needs, shifting the focus from "pushing through" to "working with" the body to create a more sustainable way of living.
Some Strategies for Managing
Calming the nervous system is essential for managing pain and stress. Techniques like breathwork, vagus nerve stimulation, and grounding exercises help reset the body's response, shifting it from fight-or-flight mode to a state of relaxation. Deep breathing slows heart rate and lowers tension, while stimulating the vagus nerve supports nervous system regulation. Grounding techniques, such as sensory awareness and mindful movement, provide a sense of stability and safety, reducing the intensity of pain and emotional distress.
Processing trauma through movement helps release stored tension trapped in the body. Gentle yoga, stretching, or somatic therapy can improve nervous system regulation, allowing muscles to relax and unwind suppressed stress. These practices reconnect the body and mind, promoting emotional relief, physical ease, and a sense of safety after trauma. Moving with intention fosters healing, resilience, and deeper self-awareness.
Reframe Pain Through Neuroplasticity –Reframing pain through neuroplasticity helps the brain reinterpret and regulate pain signals, making discomfort less overwhelming. Techniques like mindfulness, cognitive therapy, and guided visualization retrain the nervous system, reducing pain intensity and emotional distress. By shifting focus, practicing relaxation, and creating new neural pathways, individuals can gradually weaken the brain’s association with chronic pain, fostering greater resilience and relief.
Restoring connection is vital for emotional well-being, especially when dealing with chronic pain or health challenges. Support from loved ones, therapy, or peer groups provides comfort, reduces feelings of isolation, and fosters a sense of understanding and belonging. Meaningful relationships offer emotional relief, encouragement, and a space to process difficulties, making struggles feel less overwhelming. Seeking support helps rebuild trust, resilience, and hope in the face of adversity.
Acknowledge the Emotional Side of Pain – Acknowledging the emotional side of pain is essential in navigating life with a chronic condition. Writing or talking about the experience validates grief, frustration, and loss, helping to process emotions that often go unseen. Expressing feelings reduces isolation, fosters understanding, and creates space for healing. Whether through journaling, therapy, or open conversations, recognizing the mental and emotional toll of pain allows individuals to embrace self-compassion and build resilience.
Education - Learning about the pain can help understand why it happens and accepting it is a natural reaction and not the fault of the person. Psychoeducation is a vital part of chronic illness recovery, helping individuals understand their condition, manage symptoms, and build emotional resilience. By learning about flare patterns, stress responses, and treatment options, you can feel more empowered in their healthcare journey. Addressing the mind-body connection, emotional coping strategies, and self-advocacy ensures that recovery isn’t just physical but also psychological. Knowledge fosters control, confidence, and adaptability, making long-term illness easier to navigate.
Healthy Diet - A balanced diet focuses on whole, nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, while minimizing processed ingredients. Staying hydrated supports digestion and brain function, while limiting added sugars helps reduce inflammation and fatigue. Including healthy fats (avocados, nuts, and olive oil) benefits heart and brain health. Gut-friendly foods like fiber, probiotics, and prebiotics strengthen digestion and immunity. Maintaining balanced macronutrients and practicing mindful eating promotes sustained energy and overall wellness.
Sleep - Establishing a relaxing bedtime routine can significantly improve sleep quality, especially for those managing chronic pain. Gentle stretching, warm baths, or meditation help signal the body to wind down, preparing it for restful sleep. Optimizing the sleep environment, keeping the room cool, dark, and quiet, reduces disturbances and promotes deeper sleep. Managing pain before bed through heat therapy, light movement, or relaxation techniques can ease discomfort, making it easier to fall and stay asleep. Avoiding stimulants like caffeine and blue light in the evening helps regulate sleep cycles, while consuming sleep-promoting nutrients such as tryptophan, magnesium, and melatonin-rich foods supports natural relaxation.
Medication plays a crucial role in managing health conditions, providing symptom relief, treatment, and long-term stability. Whether for pain management, chronic illness, or mental health, proper medication use can improve quality of life and daily functioning. However, understanding side effects, interactions, and adherence is essential to ensure effectiveness and minimize risks. Working closely with healthcare providers, maintaining consistency, and staying informed about adjustments or alternatives helps optimize treatment outcomes.
Manual therapy is a hands-on approach used by physical therapists, chiropractors, and massage therapists to treat musculoskeletal pain, stiffness, and mobility issues. This can include physiotherapy, acupuncture, Hydrotherapy. It involves manipulating muscles, joints, and soft tissues to improve function and reduce discomfort.
Final Thoughts
When the body doesn’t cooperate, through chronic illness, it can feel like a betrayal. Healing isn’t about forcing positivity or pretending everything is fine; it’s about learning to coexist with grief, loss, and uncertainty, finding meaning even when life unfolds differently than expected.
Chronic pain and trauma don’t just exist side by side; they fuel each other, keeping the nervous system heightened, increasing pain sensitivity, and making emotional healing feel out of reach. While pain may be lifelong, that doesn’t mean healing is unattainable, it just takes a different form.
Healing isn’t about eliminating pain, but rather learning to carry it with more ease, discovering new ways to cope, and reclaiming moments of joy amid the struggle.
Some recommended books and sites are:
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
The Painful Truth by Monty Lyman
The Pain Free Mindset by Deepak Ravindran
Explain Pain Supercharged by Lorimer Moseley and David Butler
Disclaimer
Please note: The ideas discussed in this blog are intended for informational and reflective purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
If you are experiencing any mental health concerns, please consult a qualified healthcare provider or a licensed mental health professional.
These ideas reflect our current understanding, and much research continues to expand our knowledge. While one size does not fit all, and many tools and approaches can help you reach your destination, each journey is unique. Collaboration between you, your healthcare professionals, and your support network is crucial.
This is the way I see my work: I honour each individual’s unique journey and offer perspectives designed to empower you on your own healing path. This blog does not recommend discontinuing or altering any prescribed medications or treatment plans; always make decisions regarding your health in consultation with a trusted healthcare professional.
