Chronic pain is pain that continues for more than three months, and it may be primary in nature (i.e., the pain has no discernable cause or it happens even after bodily tissue healing has occurred, such as pelvic pain or fibromyalgia), or it may be secondary in nature, which means that is experienced in tandem with another illness, disease, or concern (e.g., pain after surgery, arthritis, cancer-related pain) (Government of Canada, 2023; Health Canada, 2021).
It has been reported that approximately 8 million Canadians live with chronic pain (Government of Canada, 2023; Health Canada, 2021). For youth and children, it is estimated that approximately one in five live with persistent pain (Health Canada, 2021).
At the post-secondary level, it has been noted that chronic pain can detrimentally affect students in numerous ways, including socially and psychologically, and in terms of their overall quality of life and academic functioning (Serbic et al., 2023).
“My chronic pain started when I was 19 years old, just as I was going into my second year of undergrad. I’ve been living with pain every day since then. My third year of undergrad was particularly rough. My pain was at an all-time high, and it took a toll on my mental health. I wish chronic pain was addressed more in the young adult age group. I felt really alone during that time.
I just remember having to ‘push through’ the pain all the time – like having to do a class presentation or doing group work– I managed to do it, but no one knew that I was experiencing excruciating pain. I became really good at hiding it. Sometimes I felt compelled to hide it. It was my default mode.”
– Ontario master’s student, age 23
Supporting Students with Chronic Pain
A qualitative study of college students with chronic pain in the U.S. and the U.K. provides several supports for post-secondary institutions to consider, such as:
- Peer support
- Ensuring seating (desks and chairs) promote comfort
- Affordable physiotherapy
- Allowing flexible class attendance and assignment deadlines
- Providing the option of online lectures and awareness initiatives (e.g., posters) about relevant resources for students with pain both on and off campus (Donovan et al., 2025)
Some key organizations that can provide more information and chronic pain supports:
Power Over Pain Portal – Power Over Pain
Power Over Pain is an online portal for youth and adults in Canada that offers free resources including articles, videos, podcasts, courses, workshops, and peer support. This online portal can also be used to get connected with national and provincial health services. Power Over Pain is a collaborative project between people living with pain, clinicians, researchers, and community organizations.
People in Pain Network | Self-Manage your Pain
People In Pain Network is an online community where people can access free resources and join free peer support groups in pain self-management (virtual or in-person).
LivePlanBe offers free online educational programs that have been created in consultation with people with lived experience. Funded by Pain Canada, LivePlanBe offers programming designed to educate and improve the lives of those living with pain. This website also offers a comprehensive library of resources on all things related to pain including emotional well-being, goal setting and planning, and nutrition.
