There is a phrase most Singaporeans have heard - or said themselves - when describing something uncomfortable but tolerable: "tahan lah." Just endure. It reflects something genuine and pragmatic in the local character, an ability to manage difficulty without making too much of it.
For most of life's discomforts, this is a reasonable approach. For chronic pain, it is one of the most common reasons that people suffer unnecessarily for months or years before getting the help that could meaningfully change their daily experience.
Pain is not a personality test. Enduring it without proper assessment is not strength - it is simply a delay that can allow underlying conditions to worsen, and that extracts a real cost in sleep quality, work performance, family relationships, and mental health.
What Makes Pain "Chronic"?The clinical definition of chronic pain is pain that per
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