Understanding Chronic Pain in IBD: Causes and Solutions - Health Central

What To Know

Chronic abdominal pain is a common and often persistent problem in people with IBD, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has made post-inflammatory chronic pain a research priority and has funded studies and convened experts to better understand mechanisms (like visceral hypersensitivity) and to seek safer, more effective treatments. Current commonly used pain classes such as NSAIDs and opioids are noted as problematic for long-term use in IBD.

The article summarizes population-level findings (higher prevalence and severity of chronic pain in people with IBD), proposed biological drivers (post-inflammatory nerve sensitization), links to mental-health burdens like anxiety and depression, and the Foundation’s research initiatives.

It emphasizes that there are no FDA-approved IBD-specific pain therapies and that more research is needed to develop targeted, safer options.

If you’re living with ongoing pain despite being in remission, this piece highlights that you are not alone and points to ongoing research efforts and multidisciplinary approaches (gastroenterology, neurology, pain medicine) as the main paths toward better management. It does not provide new clinical trial results or practice-changing recommendations.