“What causes chronic pain in some people?”
My wife complains of chronic pain and often ends up taking pain killers to manage the pain. What could be the cause of this pain? We have an appointment with our GP, but we want an idea of what this could be before we go.
4 Answers
Any pain lasting for more than 6 weeks could be defined as chronic pain. Many reasons for chronic pain: fibromyalgia, chronic neck, thoracic, lower back pain, headaches, chronic joint pain, abdominal or thoracic pain.
Sandeep Johar
Waterbury, CT
There are multiple things that can cause pain. Visceral, somatic, and neuropathic are the 3 categories (ie. recent surgeries, organs, musculoskeletal, nerve related).
It is important to understand that phenomenon of pain is a complex medical issue. Diagnostics and treatment of chronic pain syndromes often require a multidisciplinary approach provided by different specialists. Therefore, a diagnostic consultation with physicians working in pain management directions is usually the first step of your treatment. During the diagnostic consultations, pain management specialist will review your medical history, symptoms, medications, x-rays pictures, MRIs and other tests to diagnose the source of your pain.
Your question seems simple but is actually so complicated textbooks are written on it. The reasons for chronic pain can be related to issues of metabolic, toxic, cellular or emotional problems or a combination of one or more. The role of your physician is to determine the causative factors.
