What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain persists despite the fact that an injury has healed.
Pain signals can last for weeks, months, or even years in the neurological system. Tense muscles, reduced mobility, a lack of energy, and changes in appetite are some of the physical consequences. Depression, rage, anxiety, and fear of re-injury are some of the emotional side effects. A person's ability to return to normal job or leisure activities may be hampered by such dread.
Common chronic pain complaints include:
- Headache
- Low back pain
- Sitting related injuries
- Arthritis pain
- Neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to nerves)
- Psychogenic pain (pain not due to past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside)
- Fibromyalgia
- Pain from previous injuries or surgeries
- Many more
Chronic pain can be the result of an initial trauma/injury or illness, or it can be the result of an ongoing source of discomfort. However, some patients have chronic pain even when there has been no previous injury or signs of physiological damage.
