Chronic Pain

Pain signals remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months, or years. Physical effects include tense muscles, limited mobility, a lack of energy, and changes in appetite. Emotional effects include depression, anger, anxiety, and fear of re-injury. Such a fear may hinder a person’s ability to return to normal work or leisure activities.

Common chronic pain complaints include:

• Headache
• Low back pain
• Sitting related injuries
• Arthritis pain
• Neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to nerves)
• Psychogenic pain (pain not due to past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside)
• Fibromyalgia
• Pain from previous injuries or surgeries
• Many more

Chronic pain may have originated with an initial trauma/injury or infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain. However, some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.