Pain is a very common experience for us all. When we reflect on these numerous instances of pain we experience each day, they mostly come quickly and go just as fast. Many of them make very good sense to us – we bump or injure ourselves in some way, pain alerts us to this, we protect the injured area and the pain goes away. This short-lasting pain is called ‘acute pain’. However, pain can become long-lasting and this is called ‘chronic or persistent pain’. Chronic pain is defined as pain lasting for three months or longer, on a mostly continuous basis. There are some situations where chronic pain is due to ongoing injury or illness affecting the body’s structures and tissues. However, for most people experiencing chronic pain, there is no evidence of continuing injury. A simpler way to think about chronic pain is where pain exists after healing has finished. A physiotherapist can assess your condition and provide tailored advice and treatment to help you to get the right relief.