Chronic Pain Causes

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain causes misery for millions of people around the world. According to the American Pain Foundation, approximately 50 million individuals in America alone suffer through varying degrees of discomfort from chronic pain causes. About half that number have some form of temporary acute pain from an injury or a surgical procedure.

Chronic pain causes and definitions vary. Some sources say chronic pain is any pain from any cause that lasts more than six months. Some other sources say three months is enough to consider pain to be chronic. Still other sources put the mark at 12 months.

Some other definitions describe chronic pain as physical discomfort that lasts beyond the amount of time you'd normally expect the cause of the pain to heal.

Definitions probably don't matter much to those who are suffering pain that seems to go on and on. It can be even more frustrating, of course, to endure chronic pain when it's difficult to diagnose the cause of that pain.

The goal of this article is to investigate and describe some of the most common types and causes of chronic pain. As usual, your doctor is the one who's best qualified to help you determine what's hurting, why it's hurting, and what to do about it.

Types of chronic pain

General somatic pain Somatic pain is a type of transitory pain. Something happens that hurts, but it goes away after a while. This is the type of pain that happens in tissues such as skin, muscle, joints, bones, and ligaments. You may also experience similar pain again by touching the area or moving it.

Certain prescription or over-the-counter pain medications are generally effective in relieving somatic pain temporarily.

Visceral pain This type comes from internal organs, and it is often hard to diagnose because pain sensors in your organs are generally less sensitive. Gallstones, hepatitis, and appendicitis are examples of visceral pain.

This type of pain often requires strong medications and in some cases, surgery.

Bone pain and joint pain There are many different kinds of chronic bone pain and joint pain. Examples include osteomyelitis and arthritis. These types of chronic pain usually require long term treatment. Strong medications may be needed for relief.

Fibromyalgia is a condition that can cause severe and even debilitating chronic pain. Medical science has not discovered the cause of fibromyalgia, but it seems to be a type of arthritis. It's different from arthritis however because it causes chronic, often severe pain in the muscles instead of the joints. Fibromyalgia pain can occur anywhere in the body at any time.

Nerve pain This is pain caused by an inflamed or damaged nerve. Nerve pain is somewhat different from most other kinds of pain because you sometimes don't feel it in a different place. For instance, when the sciatic nerve is irritated or inflamed by a disc problem in your spine, you may actually feel pain in the buttocks or the thigh. This type of pain is called "referred pain."

Another name for nerve pain is neuralgia. The medical term neuropathy refers diseases or injuries that affect nerves or nerve cells.

Typically the causes of nerve pain include irritation or inflammation of the nerve from injury (such as a pinched nerve), infections (such as shingles) or diseases (including diabetes and AIDS). Some people who have lost limbs experience pain where the limb used to be because the nerve endings are still sending pain messages to the brain.

Nerve pain often causes a tingling, burning, or numbing sensation.

Circulatory problems Poor circulation can cause chronic pain in a number of ways, including autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Blocked or obstructed blood vessels can cause chronic pain. Angina, for instance is chest pain caused by arteries around the heart that have become narrow. Your heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen, which causes tissue damage and pain in the area of the blockage.

Blood thinners and strong pain medications like opioids may help relieve the discomfort, but sometimes it takes surgery to fix the cause.

Headaches are another major category of chronic pain. Some people suffer migraine headaches for years. The pain can be so intense it causes nausea and vomiting.

Cluster headaches are so named because they come in groups which may occur several times a day for weeks on end. Cluster headaches and migraines can be extremely painful. Prescription pain medications are often necessary for pain this intense, and even strong pain relievers don't always get the job done.

The wind up phenomenon and chronic pain

One of the reasons chronic pain sometimes gets worse is a phenomenon known as "wind up."

Nerve fibers which transmit pain sensations to the brain actually become more proficient. In other words, they learn to transmit the sensations more effectively. At the same time, the brain learns to be more sensitive to the pain signals. This "wind up" process can make your pain level increase even while your injury or condition is getting better.

Since your level of pain is how you generally gauge whether your condition is improving or not, this can be a frustrating and possibly even frightening experience.