Millions of Australians living with chronic pain are fighting an invisible battle that extends far beyond health care.
It’s a condition that forces many to leave the workforce, with fresh research revealing that 42 percent of sufferers have had to stop working due to chronic pain.
Advocate Kellie Jade Ellis probably won’t ever work full-time again after living with the impacts of a late-diagnosis of endometriosis.
“I’m lucky I have very flexible employment so that I can manage my health appropriately, but because of my chronic pain, I don’t think I'll ever be in a position to work full-time,” she told AAP.
“During my laparoscopic surgery, which was quite traumatic, I was misunderstood by my employer, being shamed and questioned around requiring time off work because of female reproductive pain.”
Ellis, who works as the general manager of Chronic Pain Australia, also lives with chronic lower back pain along with digestive pain, chronic pelvic pain and bowel dysfunction.
The 2026 National Pain Report also revealed that 57 percent of respondents reported their conditions had affected their ability to work.
“I felt like I couldn’t disclose my chronic pain to any employer, there were times I was in a pain zone and I had to go home and I was definitely met with a lot of shame,” Ellis added.
Drawing on responses from more than 6,000 Australians, the report also revealed that 72 percent believed costs have prevented them from accessing the health care they need.
The report argued there is a national pain gap currently existing, with one in five Australians living with chronic pain.
Despite 5.4 million people living with the condition, there is a fraction of the recognition, funding and policy attention that other conditions receive, Chronic Pain Australia chairwoman Nicolette Ellis said.
‘'Pain lives in our homes, our workplaces, our schools and our communities,” she said.
“Yet despite affecting millions of Australians, it remains largely invisible within the systems responsible for measuring, planning and responding to it.
‘'That is Australia’s National Pain Gap.”
The report also found that 38 percent of respondents developed chronic pain before the age of 25.
Compared with those whose pain began later in life, they were almost twice as likely to wait more than three years for a diagnosis, and more likely to experience mental health issues and financial strain.
‘'This report shows pain doesn’t stay inside hospitals or specialist clinics. It follows people into classrooms, workplaces, family life and retirement,” Nicolette Ellis said.
By Allanah Sciberras in Melbourne
