Pain that persists after healing needs specialized care, experts say

Months after her wrist fracture healed, the 42-year-old housewife from Mysuru was still unable to cook or even tolerate the touch of clothes on her hand. Despite repeated examinations that confirmed the fracture had healed, she continued to experience severe burning pain, swelling, stiffness and skin discoloration.

She was eventually referred to pain specialists and diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), in which the nervous system continues to generate pain long after the original injury has healed. Thanks to specialized pain management, she gradually regained function and independence.

Pain experts say such cases highlight the need to recognize chronic pain as a condition that may require specialized care.

At Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI)-affiliated Victoria Hospital, more than 1,200 patients have undergone specialized pain-relieving procedures since the establishment of its pain clinic in June 2023. The clinic, run by the Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, has also provided outpatient consultations to more than 4,000 patients.

September is Pain Awareness Month

As September is celebrated as Pain Awareness Month, the Karnataka branch of the Indian Society for the Study of Pain (ISSP) has launched a public awareness campaign urging people not to accept chronic pain as an inevitable part of life, but to seek specialist care if it persists beyond the normal healing period.

“Our team led by our Head of Department Nethra SS has performed more than 1,200 advanced interventional pain procedures and seen more than 4,000 patients in the outpatient department,” said Satish Kumar MN, Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesia and Pain, BMCRI and Treasurer of ISSP Karnataka Chapter.

The clinical team consisting of Associate Professor Nethra HN, Assistant Professor Harshavardhan HS, Satish Kumar and Dr. Nethra, treats patients with cancer pain, neuropathic pain, musculoskeletal disorders, spine, knee and shoulder pain, trigeminal neuralgia and other chronic pain conditions.

In addition to image-guided nerve blocks and joint injections, the clinic performs advanced procedures such as radiofrequency ablation, which interrupts pain signals from affected nerves.

Dr. Kumar said the acquisition of the radiofrequency ablation machine has enabled BMCRI to offer procedures that were previously available mostly in corporate hospitals.

Pain is more than just a symptom

Sadasivan S. Iyer, consultant and head, Pain Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, and vice-president of Karnataka Chapter ISSP, said a common misconception is that patients should simply learn to live with chronic pain.

“Many patients are told to just live with the pain because investigations don’t reveal an obvious cause. But persistent pain can be a medical condition in itself that requires specialized investigation and treatment,” he said.

While acute pain serves as the body’s warning signal after an injury or illness, pain lasting more than three months can become a condition in its own right, he said. The nervous system can continue to transmit pain signals even after the tissues have healed. Thus, a normal scan does not necessarily mean that pain is imaginary, while abnormalities on imaging do not always explain the severity of symptoms.

In addition to painkillers

Pain management is not limited to prescribing stronger painkillers. Depending on the condition, treatment may include medication optimization, physical rehabilitation, psychological support, lifestyle modification, and minimally invasive image-guided procedures such as nerve blocks, epidural injections, and radiofrequency ablation.

“The goal is not simply to reduce the patient’s pain score. It is to help them sleep better, return to work, perform daily activities and regain independence. Ultimately, pain relief is about restoring quality of life,” said Murali TS, Consultant and Head, Pain Medicine, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru and President, Karnataka Chapter ISSP.

When should patients seek help?

According to the ISSP, millions of Indians live with persistent back and neck pain, sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, cancer pain and pain that persists after surgery.

Specialists advise people to seek examination if the pain lasts longer than three months, comes back repeatedly, interferes with sleep or daily activities, persists despite treatment for the original condition, or is accompanied by sensations of burning, shooting or electric shock.

Published – 13 Sep 2026 21:07 IST