Chronic pain is pain that lasts a long time (months or even years) and may or may not have a clear cause. It is different from acute pain, which usually does have a clear cause—like an injury or illness—and gets better over time. Chronic pain:
Chronic pain is a very real condition. It is not just in your head. Treatment can help and usually includes several methods used together, such as medicines, physical therapy, exercise, and other treatments. Learning how to relax and changing negative thought patterns can also help you cope.
Chronic pain is complex. Taking an active role in your treatment will help you better manage your pain. Tell your doctor if you have trouble dealing with your pain. You may have to try several things before you find what works best for you.
Pain is your body's way of warning you that something may be wrong. Pain can affect your emotions as well as your body. When pain lasts longer than 3 months, it is called chronic pain.
There are many treatment options for chronic pain. They include exercise, behavioral therapy, physical therapy, medicines, and complementary therapies such as acupuncture and massage.
Chronic pain may be mild to severe. It may come back from time to time over several weeks, months, or years. Or the pain may be constant.
When you have chronic pain, you may avoid activity because you worry about making your pain worse or injuring yourself again. Often being inactive leads to more pain. And it can make it harder to do your daily activities. This can increase your worries even more. But being more active may help with your pain.
Chronic pain can also lead to symptoms of depression and problems sleeping. And depression can make chronic pain worse and harder to treat. Treatment can help you manage other conditions that often come with chronic pain.
The lives of your family members, friends, or caregivers can also be affected. The people you count on to help you may also need some support. Family therapy or involvement in a caregiver support program may help.
Common symptoms of chronic pain include mild to very bad pain that does not go away as expected after an illness or injury. It may be shooting, burning, or aching. Or it may feel like an electrical shock. You may also feel sore, tight, or stiff.
It's important to make a treatment plan with your doctor. It may take several types or combinations of treatments before you find relief.
There are many treatments you can try to manage your pain. Often people think of taking medicine to treat pain. But there are many non-medicine treatments that may be just as helpful.
Treatment options may include:
Here is an example of a pain management plan. You can work with your doctor to complete it.
Example: "Control pain long enough to walk the dog each day" or "Reduce or stop taking pain medicines by the end of summer."
Example: "Complete my physical therapy exercises each day" or "Do yoga twice a week."
Include prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
If I'm not meeting my goals, my doctor recommends:
Chronic pain can't always be prevented. But staying in good physical and mental health may be the best way to prevent it or help you cope with it.
Here are some things you can try.
Your doctor will ask you about your past illnesses and your overall health. You will also be asked about your pain, including if it disrupts your daily activities, sleep, or mood. Your doctor will also do a physical exam. You may need tests, such as imaging tests or tests to check your nervous system.
Medicines can often help control chronic pain. In some cases, it may take several weeks for the medicine to work.
Medicine may work best when it's used along with other types of treatment, such as physical therapy and counseling, to address the different causes of chronic pain.
Sometimes a medicine loses some or all of its ability to work when it is used daily over a long period of time. Your body forms a tolerance to it. If this happens, you may need to take more of the medicine, change medicines, or add another medicine. Your doctor can work with you to do this.
You will likely start with medicines that cause the fewest side effects (such as acetaminophen). The dose will be increased, or the medicines will be changed as needed. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label. Pills for pain include:
In some cases, an opioid pain medicine may be tried.
A variety of creams, gels, sprays, and patches may be used to relieve chronic pain. These include:
These are pain relievers that you apply directly to the skin. Examples include some forms of nonsterodial anti-inflammatory drugs and lidocaine. Some may contain capsaicin.
One example is Biofreeze. You spray it directly on the skin. This may be repeated several times.
Injected medicines—shots—may be used to treat chronic pain. These include:
Steroids are injected around the spine.
A corticosteroid is injected into the painful joint or joints.
If you have mild to moderate pain that keeps coming back and that you can't manage at home on your own, you may need to see one of the following health professionals:
If your chronic pain is moderate to severe and is constant, or if treatment does not control the pain, you may need to see a specialist, such as one or more of the following:
Often more than one specialist will treat your chronic pain. For example, a primary physician may manage your medicines, and a physical therapist may help you restore function through exercise or other treatments. A professional counselor may help you with coping and depression. Someone else may help you with acupuncture or yoga.
Surgery for chronic pain isn't common. It's usually an option only after other treatments haven't worked or if it's thought to be medically necessary.
Surgery may provide pain relief. But it also may permanently make you less able to feel other sensations, such as light touch and temperature changes. It can also cause a different pain to occur.
Implanted pain control systems involve inserting devices under your skin or elsewhere in your body. For example, intrathecal drug delivery sends medicine to the area of your pain.
Other procedures include:
Risk factors are things that increase your chances of getting sick or having a problem. Risk factors for chronic pain include:
Living with pain can be hard, especially if it's long-term (chronic) pain. Chronic pain is pain that lasts for 3 months or longer. It can make you sleep poorly, feel tired and irritable, and have a hard time being active or working. It may strain your relationships with loved ones too. You may feel stressed or get depressed or anxious. And these feelings may make your pain worse, because they can make it harder to manage your pain.
One way you can help manage and cope with your pain is through healthy thinking. A type of therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you learn healthy thinking habits.
Chronic pain can lead to other problems. You may feel depressed or feel anxious and stressed. You may stop doing activities such as going to work or school. You may not be able to sleep, and you may feel very tired.
Chronic pain can develop after a major injury or illness. It may also occur because certain brain chemicals aren’t working correctly. Sometimes damaged nerves can cause the pain. Or the brain may become more sensitive to the feeling of pain or touch. Sometimes the cause of chronic pain isn't known.
Pain is your body's way of warning you that something may be wrong. Pain can affect your emotions as well as your body. When pain lasts longer than 3 months, it is called chronic pain.
Chronic pain can occur anywhere in your body. It can range from being mild and annoying to being so bad that it gets in the way of your daily activities.
Anyone can get chronic pain. It's more common in older adults, but it's not a normal part of aging. Older adults are more likely to have long-term medical problems, such as diabetes or arthritis, which can lead to ongoing pain.
If you have chronic pain, such as with fibromyalgia or complex regional pain syndrome, you may have a hard time sleeping or you may wake up feeling tired and unrefreshed. Some experts believe poor sleep can make pain worse.
Getting a good night's sleep may help. Here are some things to try.
These can lead to poor sleep.
Use your bed only for sleeping and sex.
Try using a sleep mask and earplugs to help you sleep.
If you lie awake in bed for longer than about 20 minutes, get up, leave the bedroom, and do something quiet (read or listen to music) until you are sleepy again.
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
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