Months after her wrist fracture healed, the 42-year-old housewife from Mysuru was still unable to cook or even tolerate clothes touching her hand. Despite repeated tests that confirmed the fracture had healed, she continued to experience severe burning pain, swelling, stiffness, and discoloration of the skin.
She was eventually referred to pain specialists and was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), in which the nervous system continues to generate pain long after the original injury has healed. With 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 Victoria Hospital, affiliated to Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), more than 1,200 patients have undergone specialized pain management procedures since the opening of the pain clinic in June 2023. The clinic, run by the Department of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, also provided outpatient consultations to more than 4,000 patients.
Public awareness campaign
As September is observed as Pain Awareness Month, the Karnataka chapter 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 specialized help if it continues beyond the normal healing period.
“Our team, under the leadership of Department Head Netra SS, has performed over 1,200 complex pain management procedures and seen over 4,000 patients in the outpatient department,” said Satish Kumar MN, Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, BMCRI and Treasurer of ISSP Karnataka Chapter.
The clinical team, which includes Associate Professor H.N. Netra, Associate Professor Harshavardhan H.S., Satish Kumar and Dr. Netra, treats patients with cancer pain, neuropathic pain, musculoskeletal disorders, spinal pain, knee and shoulder pain, trigeminal neuralgia and other chronic pain conditions.
In addition to image-guided nerve blocks and joint injections, the clinic performs complex 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 mainly in corporate hospitals.
Pain is more than a symptom
Sadasivan S. Iyer, consultant and head of pain medicine, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road and vice-president of Karnataka chapter of 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 research doesn’t reveal an obvious cause. But persistent pain itself can be a medical condition that requires specialized evaluation and treatment,” he said.
Acute pain serves as the body’s warning signal after injury or illness, but pain that lasts more than three months can become a disease in itself, he said. The nervous system can continue to transmit pain signals even after the tissue has healed. Thus, normal scan results do not necessarily mean that the pain is imaginary, and abnormalities in the images do not always explain the severity of symptoms.
Besides painkillers
Pain medicine is not limited to prescribing stronger painkillers. Depending on the condition, treatment may include optimization of medications, physical rehabilitation, psychological support, lifestyle changes, and minimally invasive image-guided procedures such as nerve blocks, epidural injections, and radiofrequency ablation.
“The goal is not just to reduce the patient’s pain score. It is to help him sleep better, return to work, perform daily activities and regain independence. Pain relief ultimately aims to restore quality of life,” said TS Murali, Consultant and Head, Department of Pain Medicine, Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore, and President, ISSP Karnataka Chapter.
When should patients seek help?
According to ISSP, millions of Indians live with persistent back and neck pain, sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, cancer pain and pain that continues after surgery.
Experts advise people to seek medical help if pain lasts more than three months, returns repeatedly, interferes with sleep or daily activities, persists despite treatment for the underlying condition, or is accompanied by a burning, shooting or electric shock sensation.
Published – September 13, 2026 9:07 PM EST.