Everyone experiences some\noccasional aches and pain. People who have constantly been dealing with pain\nthink of themselves as suffering from a specific health condition, whether it\nis back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, migraines, or something\nelse. But those who are experiencing pain from several months or years are\namong the millions of people in the USA with a condition called chronic pain.\nData suggest that chronic pain affects around 40 to 50 million people in the\nUSA. It is the most common cause of long-term disability in Americans. Despite\ndecades of clinical trial and research, chronic pain is still not understood\nand is remain hard to manage. Studies revealed that even treatment with\nprescription medicines or pain killers help about 58% of people with a chronic\npain condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is Chronic Pain?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chronic pain is described as a\npain that least 4 to 5 months. The pain may feel dull or sharp, causing an\naching sensation specifically in the aching area. It may feel like coming and\ngoing without any solid reason. One can experience the pain at any part of the\nbody. It may feel different in the various affected areas. Most commonly\noccurred chronic illnesses are lower back pain, arthritis pain, headaches,\ncancer pain, post-surgical pain, post-trauma pain, pain caused by a disease, or\ninjury, or pain caused by nerve damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The causes of Chronic Pain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many chronic pain cases are\nassociated with a specific injury that takes a long time to heal, for example,\na surgical incision, or a severe infection. While other incidents have no clear\ncause, no prior nerve damage, or injury. However, any cases of chronic cases\nare associated with lower back pain, fibromyalgia, shingles, nerve damage, headache,\nor osteoarthritis. Treating any of these conditions is extremely important when\nit comes to managing chronic pain. When the pain does not resolve, it requires\npain treatment that can address the patient\u2019s physical and psychological\nhealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the common causes of\nchronic pain is an initial injury such as pulled muscle or back sprain. During\nthe condition, it is believed that pain develops after the nerves become\ndamaged. Neuropathy or nerve damage increases the severity of pain and makes it\nlong-lasting. It these cases, focussing on the underlying with appropriate\ntreatment approach is not enough to control chronic pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned above, some people\nexperience chronic pain without any prior injury or apparent reason. The exact\nreason behind chronic pain without injury or nerve damage is to remain a topic\nof debate. The pain may result from an underlying condition such as chronic\nfatigue syndrome, endometriosis, inflammatory bowel disease, temporomandibular\njoint disease (TMJ), or intestinal cystitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are the Risks and Treatments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chronic pain can affect people of\nalmost all ages, but it is more likely to affect older adults. Besides age,\nother risk factors for chronic pain include injury, surgery, being obese, or\nbeing female.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The treatment approach includes\nthe doctor\u2019s consideration. Your doctor will ask about any previous or current\nillness or injury that might have initiated the pain. He\/she will also ask a\nquestion-related to pain, how it feels, how long you have had it, or have any treatment\nrelieved it, etc. Imaging tests like MRI, X-ray, or CT, can show whether you\nhave any joint damage or other problems that have started the pain. Your\nprimary doctor will first assess you then will recommend a specialist for your\nmedical condition that causing the pain; for example, a rheumatologist to treat\npain caused by arthritis. Your health care specialist will tailor your\ntreatment depending on your pain. You might get a single or a combination of\nthe following treatments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Physical therapy which includes\nheat or cold press on the affected area, starching exercises, or massage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A wide variety of drugs have been\nshown to ease chronic pain. Some of the effective ones are given below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pain Relievers-<\/strong> many\npatients with chronic pain get some relief from common pain killers such as\nnon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, and analgesics\nlike naproxen, ibuprofen, aspirin, and ketoprofen. These OTC or prescriptions\nare considered safe when it comes to managing chronic pain condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anti-Depressants-<\/strong>Several\nmedications are approved by the food and drug administration (FDA) to help\ncontrol chronic pain. These include clomipramine, desipramine, imipramine,\nnortriptyline, doxepin, and amitriptyline. The pain-relieving drugs help by\nboosting the mood of the patients who are depressed and helps relieve chronic\npain. Other anti-depressant drugs to treat pain include duloxetine and\nvenlafaxine, which is clinically tested and approved for treating pain caused\nby a condition called fibromyalgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n