Causes and Symptoms of Chronic Pain
We all have suffered from various kinds of pain in our lifetime. Have you ever wondered how our brain recognizes pain? It all starts from the receptor nerve cells that are spread all over our skin and every organ in our body. If you are experiencing such pain, you should get in touch with our Pain Clinic Aylesbury.
When we are injured, sick, or have any other kind of problem in our body these receptor nerve cells send messages to our brain and our brain registers it as pain.
Painkillers get rid of this pain by reducing or blocking the messages sent by our spinal cord. They won’t let them reach their receiving end, which is our brain.
What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain has become a major health issue for people all over the world. Not only does it cause negative effects on our health but it also has economic consequences as they are expensive to deal with and also affect our overall productivity.
Pain can be mainly divided into two, acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain refers to the pain that is new and lasting for a few days, weeks, or months. On the other hand, chronic pain lasts over 3 months.
Chronic pain exists beyond the usual recovery period and also occurs along with any health conditions which are chronic, for example, Arthritis. Chronic pain can be continuous or sometimes it can occur from time to time.
It can take a toll on people by affecting both their personal and professional life. It will be difficult for people with chronic pain to enjoy their life as they used to! Chronic pain is considered a major health condition and people with chronic pain should get medical attention as soon as possible.
Causes of Chronic Pain
Various causes can result in chronic pain. If you are someone with a chronic health condition or diseases like cancer or arthritis, then it can cause long-lasting pain.
Pain can also be caused due to serious injuries. Injuries leave our bodies a lot more sensitive to pain. It can last for a long time even after the injury has healed. For example, if you broke your bone or have a sprain, then the pain associated with the injury will remain even after you have recovered from it.
An injury and illness are not only the causes that are tied to chronic pain. Healthcare professionals have observed chronic pain in some people due to physiological factors. Such pain is referred to as psychosomatic pain or psychogenic pain. These are observed to happen in people who suffer from psychological factors such as depression, stress, or anxiety.
Medical professionals believe that this is due to the low level of endorphin in blood, which is responsible for triggering good feelings in our minds.
And the absence of endorphins causes a feeling of pain in our body. There can be more than one reason for your pain. You could have two different conditions such as psychogenic pain and migraines together.
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Where Does Chronic Pain Happen in a Body?
Chronic pain can occur in various forms and appear across your body. Some commonly observed chronic pain includes the following.
- Joint pain or Arthritis
- Neck pain
- Back pain
- Testicular pain
- Cancer pain
- Headaches including migraines
- Neurogenic pain
- Muscle pain
What Does Chronic Pain Feel Like?
Patients who suffer from chronic pain have described their pain to be in various forms such as:
- Stiffness
- Aching
- Shooting
- Burning
- Throbbing
- Stinging
A lot of people who suffer from chronic pain have been observed to have other symptoms and conditions relating to their psychological conditions such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Mood swings
How Does Diagnosis for Chronic Pain Work?
You should consult a healthcare professional from our pain clinic Aylesbury as soon as possible once you identify the pain in your body. You will have to provide them with every detail possible to get a clear idea about your condition.
Pain is usually seen as a symptom of any other underlying condition, your healthcare professional needs to identify that cause. They would probably ask you the following questions:
- Where exactly is your pain?
- How often does it happen?
- How intense it is
- What makes it better or worse
- The impact it has on your personal and work life.
- Whether you are someone with a history of any surgery or illnesses.
- Whether you are under a lot of stress or anxiety in your life
The next step is to run tests based on the information you provided at our pain clinic Aylesbury. They will thoroughly examine your body by making you undergo various tests such as blood tests, MRI and X-rays, urine tests, balance and reflex tests, and such.
On the basis of your test results, your health care provider will identify your condition and will prescribe the necessary medications and measures you need to take to tackle your condition.
Can Therapy Help You Deal with Chronic Pain?
Before setting unrealistic expectations, you need to realise that there is no particular cure for chronic pain. All sorts of treatments that are prescribed for chronic pain help you to lessen the pain. What you actually need to do is to find the cause of your chronic pain. Treating the cause can help you stop the pain.
Various therapies are focused on helping people manage chronic pain such as occupational therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, physical therapy, counseling, and such. Taking therapy along with proper medication can do wonders for your condition. Also along with medication and therapy suggested by the experts from our pain clinic Aylesbury, you need to focus on your lifestyle, as it is also an important factor in your healing process.
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