{"id":23241,"date":"2023-06-08T11:03:20","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T09:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.220triathlon.com\/?p=139481"},"modified":"2023-06-08T11:39:52","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T09:39:52","slug":"how-to-manage-persistant-pain","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/rss_feed\/how-to-manage-persistant-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"How to manage persistant pain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got a pain that isn’t going away? Here we examine the potential causes of pain and when you should seek further treatment and advice\u2026 <\/p>

By Hannah Wright\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 08 June 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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With many injuries and conditions, having pain for a long time can be normal. However, if you\u2019ve had an injury or pain has started with no real cause and it doesn\u2019t seem to be getting any better, when is the best time to get help?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the potential causes of pain, how long you should expect to experience it and when you should consult a GP or physio for further treatment and advice.<\/p>\n

Injuries from trauma<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When you suffer an acute injury from a trauma e.g. a fall from a bike or spraining an ankle<\/strong><\/a> while out running, depending on the injury it can often take some weeks or months to recover.<\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019ve fractured<\/strong><\/a> a small bone, this will, on average, take around 4-6 weeks to heal. A larger bone would take between 6-8 weeks and occasionally longer for some types of fractures.<\/p>\n

Pain would be expected during this time and every so often for some months after.<\/p>\n

Soft tissue injuries<\/strong><\/a> such as ligament sprains can take anything up to around 12 weeks to heal and are notorious for taking a long time for pain to settle. Acute pain lasts anything from 1-4 weeks and maybe with a dull ache persisting for longer after this time.<\/p>\n

However, with these types of injuries you would expect to see a slow gradual improvement in pain over time. If you\u2019re not seeing these improvements early on in the first few weeks, it\u2019s important to see a physiotherapist<\/strong><\/a> or your doctor to rule out any other reason why the pain might not be improving.<\/p>\n

Pain without the injury<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Occasionally, pain can start without having any real apparent cause or trigger. However, during a triathlon overuse injuries<\/strong><\/a> are fairly common and this is an example of an injury that can develop without any particular event causing it.<\/p>\n

These types of injuries can cause pain for weeks or perhaps months if not addressed quickly. So I would suggest consulting with a physiotherapist or doctor as soon as you have a pain that\u2019s not settling with short rest periods, or it\u2019s returning again and again when doing a particular exercise or movement.<\/p>\n

Guidance early on with these types of injuries can make all the difference and stop the pain becoming persistent or chronic in the first place.<\/p>\n

Is your pain a sign of something more serious?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not that common for joint or muscular pain to be serious, however I would suggest a discussion with your doctor if you\u2019re getting or have had any of the following:<\/p>\n