Anniversary Pain
Does A Pain Return Around The Same Time Each Year?
Have you ever noticed that your pain returns around the same time every year?
A particular week. A certain month. Even a specific date. And although you might not link it to anything in particular, your body remembers.
"I often see patterns in clinic," I wrote recently, "where someone’s pain flares around the anniversary of an accident, operation, fall, illness — or a loss they may not have fully processed."
It doesn’t have to be the exact same pain, or even in the same part of the body. But it’s like something in the system lights up — as if the nervous system is scanning for danger that might have passed, but wasn’t fully integrated.
I call this anniversary pain — not in the romantic sense, but in the way our body holds time. It bookmarks stress. It timestamps trauma. It loops back to dates where something meaningful happened — even if our conscious mind has moved on.
Sometimes there’s no obvious reason for a flare. The scans are clear. The tissues look fine. You’ve done the rehab. And yet… the symptoms return.
But pain isn’t just about damage.
It’s about protection.
It’s about perception.
It’s about memory.
Pain has a memory. But that doesn’t mean you're broken.
It means you're human.
✍️ Reflect:
What happened to you — or around you — at this time of year?
The answer might be subtle. It might feel unrelated.
But it could also be a clue — not to fix, but to feel.
An invitation to meet what still wants your attention.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Here are some helpful next steps…
Join our FREE private Facebook group, The Pain Habit Community, to see how others have successfully returned to a pain-free life. Get support on your journey.
Sign up for The Pain Habit Blog below.
Subscribe to The Pain Habit YouTube channel.
Buy The Pain Habit book. Order here.
