Chronic Pain: What is it, causes, symptoms and treatment

Pain is an unpleasant sensation due to prick, tingle, sting, burn, or ache. It may be sharp or dull. It may come and fade away or may be persistent. However, it can help diagnose an unknown disease. Without the sensation of pain, you might develop a severe medical condition that needs urgent treatment. So pain is the primary symptom to make you aware of a hidden health issue you are developing. During an injury, the pain travels as a signal from receptor nerve cells underneath the skin or organ to the brain through the spinal cord. As the wound heals, this pain starts fading away. Chronic pain is different from acute pain.

It is a complex and distressing problem affecting strength, mobility, flexibility, and endurance. You may find it challenging to perform daily tasks and activities with chronic pain. It also affects people with diabetes, arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

It is normally experienced after an injury or disease. A few of the common chronic pain include

• headache
• Postsurgical pain
• lower back pain
• cancer pain
• arthritis pain
• Pain caused by nerve damage
• post-trauma pain

When severe pain occurs at a specific site after trauma, this chronic is called complex regional syndrome (crps).

Depending on the origin, there are two types of chronic pain:

• Neuropathic pain: This chronic pain originates from a tissue injury or nerve damage.
• Nociceptive pain: This type of chronic pain originates from an injury, inflammation of a body part, or physical pressure.

What are the symptoms of chronic pain?

It can be constant, or you may experience flares of intense pain, sometimes due to increased stress or activity. The symptoms include

• Pain in joints
• muscle aches
• burning sensation
• fatigue
• having difficulty in sleep
• lack of strength and flexibility

It can also cause mood swings, depression, anxiety, and irritability. The group of these symptoms leads to chronic pain syndrome.

What are the chronic pain causes?

It normally originates after injuries, such as a back sprain or pulled muscle. When the injury damages the nerves, the pain becomes more intense and long-lasting. In that case, treating the underlying injury may help reduce chronic pain. It may be the result of a single or combination of the following factors:

• Poor body posture over the years
• Lifting and carrying heavy objects in an improper way
• Your body’s overweight, which exerts excess strain on the back and knees
• Any traumatic injury
• Wearing high heels
• Sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress
• Spinal cord issues

Chronic pain may sometimes result from an underlying disease, such as:

• Rheumatoid arthritis: It is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting joints.
• Osteoarthritis: In this condition, the protective cartilage between bones wears down.
• Inflammatory bowel disease: It is a common disorder of the stomach and intestine recognised by abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, and diarrhoea.
• Fibromyalgia is a widespread muscle pain accompanied by fatigue, disrupted sleep, and dull memory.
• Endometriosis: It is a painful condition in which the tissues that typically grow inside the uterus grow outside the uterus.
• Interstitial cystitis: It is a painful condition of the urinary bladder recognised by pressure and pain in the bladder.
• Cancer: Chronic pain expands as cancer grows and destroys nearby tissues.
• Multiple sclerosis: In this condition, the body’s immune system attacks the protective covering called myelin that covers nerve fibres and creates communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body.
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ): In this condition, jaw movement becomes restricted due to pain in your jaw joint and the connected muscles.
• Stomach ulcers: These are painful sores in the stomach lining due to the Heliobacter bacteria or due to the long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen.
• Gallbladder disease: Gallbladder disease includes a set of problems, including gallstones, cholecystitis, cancer, and other illnesses that affect gallbladder function. All these issues can also cause chronic pain.

What are the treatment options for chronic pain?

The treatment for chronic pain aims to reduce pain to help you perform daily tasks. Besides, the treatment depends on the pain’s severity, frequency, and cause. Some chronic pains are only treated with medications and surgical procedures. While some with being treated with lifestyle alterations.

Medicines for chronic pain

The medications for crps treatment include pain-relieving non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and opioids in rare cases. However, these medicines can have serious side effects at the same time. Therefore it’s advisable to use them for the shortest span, and that too with your doctor’s advice.

• paracetamol 
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): ibuprofen and diclofenac 
• antidepressants: amitriptyline
• anticonvulsants, or antiepileptic medicines: pregabalin and gabapentin.
• Opioids: morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, or codeine

Medical procedures for chronic pain

These medical procedures can also relieve from it:

• Electrical stimulation: In this therapy, low-voltage electric currents are passed into the muscles to treat pain.
• Nerve block: Local anaesthesia is given to control pain in this therapy.
• Acupuncture: In this therapy, needles are used to prick your skin to alleviate pain. It helps relieve low back pain, nerve pain, headaches, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, dental pain, osteoarthritis, and even respiratory disorders.
• Surgery: Doctors may also recommend surgery to treat the disease-causing chronic pain.

Lifestyle management for chronic pain

The management can also be done by adopting a healthy lifestyle can also help treat and prevent chronic pains. These lifestyle changes include:

• Physical therapy, including hot and cold therapies, massage, and stretching, has effectively treated pain.
• Stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation, exercise, walking, improving sleep quality, socialising, sharing thoughts, and connecting with nature can effectively treat pain.

Conclusion

Chronic pain can result from any traumatic injury, disease, excess body weight, wrong body posture, and poor sleep quality over the years. There is no cure for chronic pain, but the pain can be managed successfully. The treatments for chronic pain aim to reduce your pain and help you cope with daily activities. The medicines such as paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-depressants, and opioids can provide relief. However, the extended use of these drugs can also show adverse side effects. So it’s better to use these medicines under proper medical guidance.

Besides, a few lifestyle alterations, such as stress management techniques and physical therapies, can also help provide some relief. It’s essential to follow a pain management plan to help relieve symptoms.

What are the side effects or complications of medical treatment for chronic pain?

The side effects of the medicines used for it can include:

• Acute liver failure
• Opioid addiction
• Mood changes, confusion, and respiratory problems
• Spinal cord infection or damage

Disclaimer: The information given in this article is true to our best knowledge. Still, we recommend you consult your healthcare professional before taking any medication or therapy mentioned in this article.

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