​Dr Adeline Leong, Consultant, Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, SKH, contributed an essay with stories that illustrates pain management strategies and how successful pain management is heavily reliant on the patient's own self-management strategies. Dr Leong shared that while pain medications and interventions can be effective sometimes, they are not always the best treatment as they generally have various side effects and their efficacy wears out with time. In the long run, chronic pain management will require supportive sustainable treatments such as exercise therapy, psychological support, and techniques such as cognitive behavioural therapy, pacing, and coping strategies. These would allow patients to cope better with their pain and lead functional, quality lives despite the pain.