Chronic Pain

1. Chronic Pain Chronic pain last months or years and happens in all parts of the body. It interferes with daily life and can lead to depression and anxiety. The first step in treatment is to find and treat the cause. When that isn’t possible, the most effective approach is a combination of medications, therapies and lifestyle changes. What is chronic pain? Chronic pain is pain that lasts for over three months. The pain can be there all the time, or it may come and go. It can happen anywhere in your body. Chronic pain can interfere with your daily activities, such as working, having a social life and taking care of yourself or others. It can lead to depression, anxiety and trouble sleeping, which can make your pain worse. This response creates a cycle that’s difficult to break. What’s the difference between chronic pain and other pain? Chronic pain differs from another type of pain called acute pain. Acute pain happens when you get hurt, such as experiencing a simple cut to your skin or a broken bone. It doesn’t last long, and it goes away after your body heals from whatever caused the pain. In contrast, chronic pain continues long after you recover from an injury or illness. Sometimes it even happens for no obvious reason. Where do people have chronic pain? Chronic pain can come in many different forms and appear across your body. Common types of chronic pain include: Arthritis, or joint pain.  Back pain.  Neck pain.  Cancer pain near a tumor. 

2. Headaches, including migraines.  Testicular pain (orchialgia).  Lasting pain in scar tissue.  Muscle pain all over (such as with fibromyalgia).  Neurogenic pain, from damage to the nerves or other parts of the nervous  system. How common is chronic pain? Chronic pain is a very common condition, and one of the most common reasons why someone seeks medical care. Approximately 25% of adults in the United States experience chronic pain. SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES What causes chronic pain? Sometimes chronic pain has an obvious cause. You may have a long-lasting illness such as arthritis or cancer that can cause ongoing pain. Injuries and diseases can also cause changes to your body that leave you more sensitive to pain. These changes can stay in place even after you’ve healed from the original injury or disease. Something like a sprain, a broken bone or a brief infection can leave you with chronic pain. Some people also have chronic pain that’s not tied to an injury or physical illness. Healthcare providers call this response psychogenic pain or psychosomatic pain. It’s caused by psychological factors such as stress, anxiety and depression. Many scientists believe this connection comes from low levels of endorphins in the blood. Endorphins are natural chemicals that trigger positive feelings. It’s possible to have several causes of pain overlap. You could have two different diseases, for example. Or you could have something like migraines and psychogenic pain together. What does chronic pain feel like?

3. People with chronic pain describe their pain in many different ways, such as: Aching.  Burning.  Shooting.  Squeezing.  Stiffness.  Stinging.  Throbbing.  How is chronic pain diagnosed? Pain is considered to be chronic if it lasts or comes and goes (recurs) for more than three months. Pain is usually a symptom, so your healthcare provider needs to determine what’s causing your pain, if possible. Pain is subjective — only the person experiencing it can identify and describe it — so it can be difficult for providers to determine the cause. If you have long-lasting pain, see your healthcare provider. Your provider will want to know: Where your pain is.  How intense it is, on a scale of 0 to 10.  How often it occurs.  How much it’s affecting your life and work.  What makes it worse or better.  Whether you have a lot of stress or anxiety in your life.  Whether you’ve had any illnesses or surgeries.  How is chronic pain treated?

4. To relieve chronic pain, healthcare providers first try to identify and treat the cause. But sometimes they can’t find the source. If so, they turn to treating, or managing, the pain. Healthcare providers treat chronic pain in many different ways. The approach depends on many factors, including: The type of pain you have.  The cause of your pain, if known.  Your age and overall health.  The best treatment plans use a variety of strategies, including medications, lifestyle changes and therapies. If you have chronic pain and depression and/or anxiety, it’s important to seek treatment for your mental health condition(s) as well. Having depression or anxiety can make your chronic pain worse. For example, if you have depression, the fatigue, sleep changes and decreased activity it may cause can make your chronic pain worse.