Video and Transcript: How to Treat a Flare-Up When Working Through Chronic Pain

Hi everyone! My name is Dr. Orit Hickman and I'm a physical therapist and the owner of Pain Science Physical Therapy. 

I wanted to put together a video answering a really, really common question that patients ask me which is, “How do I treat a flare-up of pain?” 

So, without getting into too much detail, flare-ups are really, really common. That's a horrible -- I don't know if you could read that because I can't even read it. So, flare-ups are pretty common when you've been dealing with pain for a long period of time. 

The very, very first thing you want to try not to do is try not to panic. This is hard because you're hurting and the pain doesn't feel good, but, if you can, try not to panic. That's probably the most important thing. 

Flare ups are part of the process, especially if you're increasing activity levels over time, if  there's been a change in temperature, if your stress levels have gone up. These are all different reasons why you might have a flare-up. So first, try not to panic. 

Second, keep moving. This is the hardest thing because when you're hurting, the last thing that you want to do is keep moving. But, the reality is research shows us that curling up into a ball and crying is sort of like crawling into your bed. Unfortunately, that won't change your pain and it certainly won't make your flare up go away any quicker. So, try to keep moving. 

The next thing that I tell patients to do is meditation. Hopefully, meditation is already a part of your daily activities. Really, really important research shows that if we can be doing meditation on a regular basis, it changes your brain. And, if you’ve watched any of my past videos, if we change your brain, we change your pain. So, meditation is really important. You want to keep doing that. Keep doing the things that help you feel really good. 

So, don't panic. Keep moving. Meditation. Number 4: breathing. A lot of times, when we hurt, we hold our breath. The more that you hold your breath, the more anxious you're going to get. Not going to help your pain. So, try to remember to keep breathing. 

And, the last thing, and this is really counterintuitive, is that when we hurt, the last thing we want to do is things that we enjoy. Well, those are the things that are going to help your pain levels come down. So, do things you enjoy. Now, if this is something active and you really don't feel comfortable getting out and doing something active, well, watch a video of that activity, plan the next time you're going to go do that activity, look at pictures of yourself doing those activities. I have patients who their grandchildren really give them joy. It's like, when you hurt, look at photos of your grandchildren. It's really hard to keep having pain when you're looking at somebody that you love and adore. So, do things you enjoy. 

So, those are five suggestions on how to handle a flare-up and there's a lot more information that we’ll give patients, especially when we work with them one-on-one. But, I hope this will help you start to think about your pain a little bit differently and have a different approach. 

Good luck! Let me know if this video is helpful at all. Feel free to give me a thumbs-up or comment below. I really appreciate it. I want to know how you're doing. Thanks! Have a great day.