Chronic Pain

While severe pain is a normal sensation activated in the nervous system to alert you of a possible injury and the need to seek immediate care, chronic pain is different. Chronic pain continues. Pain signals continue firing in the nervous system for weeks, months, sometimes years.

The onset of chronic pain may be a result of a sprained back, serious infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain such as, arthritis, cancer, or an ear infection. However, some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of a past injury. Generally, many chronic pain conditions affect older adults.

People who suffer from chronic pain often complain of:

• Headaches
• Low back pain
• Cancer pain
• Arthritis pain
• Neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to the peripheral nerves or to the central nervous system itself)
• Psychogenic pain (pain not due to past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside or outside the nervous system)

Helpful Links
www.theacpa.org