5 Practical Tips for People Dealing with Chronic Pain
Living with chronic pain is challenging—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too. After over a decade of working with people in long-term rehab, I’ve noticed some common patterns and shared struggles.
In this post, I’ll walk you through 5 practical tips I share with nearly every patient who’s dealing with persistent or chronic pain. These strategies aren’t just about exercises—they’re about how to think, plan, and stay on track during a long recovery journey.
1. Begin With the End in Mind – Set a Clear Goal
One of the most common mistakes in rehab is not having a clear goal. People often say, “I just want to be pain-free,” but that’s not specific enough. What does “pain-free” actually mean? No pain at all? Occasional discomfort?
That mindset creates a win/lose situation: if you have pain, you’ve failed. If you don’t, you’ve succeeded. But chronic pain isn’t that black and white.
Instead, ask yourself: What is pain stopping me from doing?
Is it playing with your kids?
Running?
Getting back to work or the gym?
Once we define what matters to you, we can build a plan tailored to your life. This is called the SAID Principle—Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands. Your body adapts to what you train it to do. Having a meaningful, physical goal gives us something to work towards and measure progress against.
2. Set Realistic Expectations – Recovery Isn’t Linear
Chronic pain recovery isn’t like healing a sprained ankle. It’s not a smooth or predictable process. There are ups and downs, and that’s normal.
If you expect progress to be steady and linear, you’ll likely feel frustrated when setbacks happen. Instead, zoom out. Think of recovery like a stock market graph—day to day it may look erratic, but over time the trend can still move up.
Focus on function over pain.
Can you jog, bend, or lift again—even if pain is still present? That’s progress. Over time, flare-ups usually become:
Less intense
Less frequent
Quicker to settle
Staying the course through those fluctuations is key.
3. Understand Pain – Not All Pain Means Damage
One of the most important shifts in chronic pain rehab is learning that pain does not always mean harm.
Pain is a protective signal from your nervous system—not always a sign of tissue damage. In chronic pain, the nervous system becomes hypersensitive, like a smoke alarm going off when there’s no fire—just burnt toast.
The good news? You’re not broken. Your nervous system simply needs retraining.
That’s where graded exposure comes in. Gradually reintroducing movement (like bending, lifting, or deadlifting) in a safe, supported way helps the body rebuild trust in those actions. Over time, pain reduces, and confidence grows.
4. The Power of Compounding – Consistency Matters
Rehab success doesn’t come from doing everything perfectly—it comes from doing the basics consistently.
Your body responds best to repeated, steady input. It’s like building savings: small daily deposits grow over time. That’s the power of compounding in rehab.
One tip I give patients is to print out a 30-day calendar and stick it on the fridge. Each day you complete your rehab (even just one exercise), put a cross on the calendar. Your goal? Don’t break the chain. It builds momentum, helps form habits, and keeps you accountable.
Tell your housemates or family what you're doing so they can support you—and see your progress too.
Consistency is what rewires your body and brain over time. The clients who do best are the ones who keep showing up, even on the tough days.
5. Look for the 1% Wins – Small Progress Matters
Big breakthroughs are rare in chronic rehab. What matters most are the 1% wins—the small improvements that often fly under the radar.
Things like:
Walking upstairs with a little more ease
Getting in and out of the car more comfortably
Feeling slightly stronger or standing longer at work
These are signs that your body is adapting. But if you’re only tracking pain levels, you might miss them.
Start looking for these small shifts. Write them down. Reflect on them. These are your early signs of progress, and over time, they add up to big changes.
Rehab is a series of small wins, stacked consistently. And that momentum is everything.
Final Thoughts
Chronic pain recovery is rarely quick, and it’s almost never straightforward. But with the right mindset, clear goals, and consistent effort, progress is possible—and often closer than it feels.
To recap:
Set a clear, meaningful goal
Expect ups and downs
Understand that pain ≠ damage
Be consistent and trust the process
Look for (and celebrate) the 1% wins
If you found this helpful—or know someone who’s dealing with chronic pain—please share it. Our mission is to help more people navigate pain with clarity, support, and confidence. Every share helps us reach someone who needs it.
Thanks for reading.
