Chronic pain changes lives. It impacts self-image, affects others, and interrupts plans. It's a disease that sometimes the person living with doesn't understand and others don't accept. Being bedridden one day but unimparied the next can be difficult to explain to others. It's normal to feel angry when pain hinders you from activities you enjoy or the ability to take part in routine tasks.
To help you navigate this difficult terrain, here are some tips, simple lifestyle changes and advice from our own experts. Contributors include Ted Jones, PhD, CPE; Thomas J. Purtzer, MD; Sean Mackey, MD, PhD; Roderick A. Borrie, PhD; and Susan McQuillan, MS, RDN, CDN.