An Overview of Chronic Pain Causes
& Pain Management
Chronic pain is reported to affect 100 million Americans. Chronic pain is a complex health condition since it can be caused by a variety of factors, such as a previous injury, a disease or past surgery that caused nerve damage. The pain physicians at Pain Recovery Center of Tyler are highly trained and experienced at treating Tyler, Texas patients with a variety of pain management techniques.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is pain characterized by ongoing or recurrent pain that lasts longer than 3-6 months, the typical healing time for an injury or illness.
Everyone experiences an ache or pain from time to time. The pain sensation is the body’s way to alert a possible injury. As the injury heals, the pain lessens. In cases of chronic pain, the body continues to send the brain pain signals well after the injury has healed. The pain can be dull or sharp, steady or intermittent.
What Causes Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is the most common cause of long-term disability in the country. The health condition is commonly caused by an injury, an underlying health condition or a past surgery that caused nerve damage. Chronic pain caused by an injury is typically associated with a pulled muscle, back sprain or whiplash. A number of underlying health conditions can cause persistent pain, including:
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Shingles
- Fibromyalgia
- Endometriosis
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
Pain caused by nerve damage, neurogenic pain, is also a relatively common cause of chronic pain.
Chronic Pain Treatment
The main goal of a pain physician is to diagnose the underlying cause of chronic pain, lessen the pain level and return mobility to the patient. A pain physician strives to return patients to normal, daily activities as quickly as possible.
Chronic pain is different for each patient so a pain management treatment plan must be individually created. Medications typically include over-the-counter pain relievers, prescription pain medications and adjuvant analgesics (antidepressants). Nerve blocks, electrical stimulation and physical therapy are also quite effective at relieving persistent pain.
There isn’t a cure for chronic pain, but the health condition can be managed with the help of a pain physician.
For more information on chronic pain causes and pain management treatment options, please contact the Tyler, Texas pain physicians at Pain Recovery Center of Tyler.
Pain Recovery Center of Tyler 