Goal: Reduce pain
Using pain science to make daily life easier
Dr Nicola Tik
Pain has a way of shaping your day. Maybe you plan around it, skip things you used to enjoy, or feel drained by the time evening comes. Wherever your pain sits, you’re far from alone. Around four in ten adults in the UK live with pain that lasts longer than three months. Understanding how pain works can help you take back more of your day, even while pain is still part of it.
It’s easy to assume you have to wait for pain to go before life gets easier. Research suggests that’s not the case. You can often do more, feel more confident and get more out of your day even while some pain is still there.
A large overview of 21 Cochrane reviews, covering 381 studies and over 37,000 people with long-term pain, found that physical activity most consistently improved physical function. That means the everyday things people could do. Effects on pain itself varied, but the activity was safe, and the most common side effect was muscle soreness that faded within a few weeks.
Pain isn’t a direct readout of damage. It’s a signal your nervous system produces when it decides part of you might need protecting. Most of the time that’s helpful. Think of how quickly you pull your hand away from a hot pan.
When pain has been around for a while, though, the system can become more sensitive, a bit like a car alarm that goes off when someone walks past. This is called sensitisation. The pain is real, but it doesn’t always mean something is being damaged. Hurt and harm aren’t always the same thing.
Learning how pain works is a recognised approach in its own right. A review of 13 trials found that teaching people about pain science was linked to less pain, better day-to-day function and less worry about moving.
When you understand that a twinge is your protective system speaking up, it can feel less alarming. That makes it easier to keep doing the things that matter to you, and staying active tends to help your system settle.
Many things affect how sensitive your system is, not just what’s happening where it hurts. Sleep, stress, mood and how active you’ve been all play a part. In one study, a single night without sleep made people feel heat as painful at around 42°C rather than 44°C.
The same factors can also turn the volume down. Gentle, regular movement, steadier sleep and small moments of calm through the day all help your system feel safer. None of these needs to be perfect to make a difference.
Changes tend to build gradually. Many people first notice small shifts in daily life within a few weeks, like an easier morning, a walk that feels more manageable or a little more energy at the end of the day. There may be ups and downs along the way. That’s a normal part of how a sensitive system settles, not a sign that things aren’t working.
There’s a new 5-minute video for every day of the programme. Alongside it, the VIDA library has 30-second videos you can use on busier or harder days. At the end of each week we’ll check in on how you’re getting on, so you can see what’s changing. Your VIDA pain check-in is also a good way to keep track of how things are shifting over time.
The videos use gentle, steady movements to help your body feel safe moving again. Each one stays within a comfortable range and builds gradually, so you can adapt it to wherever you feel pain. If you’re working in the office, the videos show seated options you can do at your desk. If you’re working from home, you’ll see both seated and standing options. There’s no equipment and no need to get changed.
It’s normal to feel some discomfort when you move, especially at the start. A useful guide is to stay at a level you’d rate as manageable, where any discomfort settles back to your usual level within an hour or so. If a movement makes your pain sharply worse, make it smaller or skip it.
Today’s video is ready. Press play and we’ll guide you through each movement at a pace that suits you.