When a person feels the pain even after healing is considered as chronic pain syndrome. Pain should go away after an injury heals and this pain lasts long when a person is affected by chronic pain syndrome. People experience pain without any cause. As per health authorities, a person suffers from chronic pain for about three to six months, and nearly twenty-five million citizens in the United States are affected by this condition.
Overview
In some cases, people diagnosed with this condition due to other conditions like trauma or injury. People experience this type of condition when they get older and it is proved that older people have higher chances of getting diagnosed with this syndrome. Older people affected by a lot of conditions and these conditions are called degenerative conditions. The chances of getting diagnosed with this condition increase when they get older. The following are the body parts mostly affected by this condition. These parts include
- Pain in the back
- Pain in the neck
- Pain in the hips
- Pain in the knees
This condition may become worse when it is responded to environmental or psychological factors. There are various treatment options available for people who are suffering from chronic pain syndrome. The main objective of any treatment plan is to ease the symptoms of this condition. A health professional may recommend or suggest some of the medications get you relief from the pain. For some people, they can be relieved from this condition when they stopped smoking or reduce their intake of caffeine. Following are some lifestyle changes a person can apply himself to get relief from the symptoms of chronic pain syndrome. These changes include
- Quit smoking
- Reducing the intake of caffeine
- Reducing weight
- Doing workouts regularly
- Optimizing nutrition
- Getting enough sleep
Some people who are suffering from chronic pain syndrome are able to get relief from the condition by doing some of the above. Sometimes, it requires twenty-hours monitoring, and doctors will keep you for observation when your condition becomes severe. Previous injury or previous trauma is considered as the cause of chronic pain syndrome.
What are the indicators of chronic pain syndrome?
This condition will affect your health both physically and mentally. The pain may become severe due to a lot of stress or doing stressful activities. It has been observed in research that sixty percent of the people who are reported chronic pain also suffering from mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression. These mental health conditions can contribute to the symptoms of chronic pain syndrome.
Joint pains, depression, muscle aches, feeling nervous all the time, pain associated with burning sensations, irritability, unable to do physical activities due to loss of stamina, exhaustiveness, loss of flexibility, and getting difficulty in sleeping or unable to sleep are considered as the symptoms of chronic pain syndrome.
It is advisable to consult a physician or a primary care provider when you are experiencing the above symptoms. Identifying the symptoms early and consulting a physician or a mental health professional can help a person to manage the symptoms of the condition.
What are the causes of this condition?
The primary cause of this syndrome is the person’s previous injuries or illnesses. These health conditions may contribute to this syndrome and make you suffer from long-lasting pain. The following are the conditions that can cause chronic pain syndrome. These conditions include
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Inflammatory bowel disease
Osteoarthritis
People diagnosed with this condition when they grow older or due to wear and tear on the body. You may not diagnose with this condition as long as you maintain your bone health. Once, your bones become weak it will contribute you to this condition and this syndrome will clear the pathways to chronic pain syndrome to enter your body.
Rheumatoid arthritis
It is considered an autoimmune disease that can cause pain to your joints.
Back pain
People experience back pain due to the strains in the muscles, nerve compression, and this condition can cause chronic pain syndrome.
Fibromyalgia
When people diagnosed with this condition, their body parts can be affected by pain and tenderness, and due to this reason, it is considered a neurological condition.
Inflammatory bowel disease
When people are affected by this condition, they will suffer from the chronic inflammation in their digestive tract and can produce the following conditions include
- Intestinal pain
- Cramping
The above health conditions are considered as the main causes of chronic pain syndrome. Surgical trauma and an advanced stage of cancer are the other causes of diagnosing this condition. Even though people get relief from these conditions with the help of taking medications, but some people can still suffer from this condition. People suffer from this condition when there are interruptions in the brain and nervous system and also people experience chronic pain for unexplained reasons.
Person nerve cells behave abnormally when they are diagnosed with chronic pain syndrome and it will be difficult for the person to communicate with other people when they are experiencing the pain. It has been observed in a study that twenty percent of the people who are relieved from the symptoms of osteoarthritis still suffer from chronic pain syndrome.
When to see a doctor
It is better to consult a primary care provider when a person feels unbearable pain. It is advisable to consult a physician when a person experiencing the symptoms of chronic pain syndrome and this condition may become severe if a person neglects or failed to seek medical attention.
What are the risk factors of chronic pain syndrome?
It has been observed in research that some people have a higher risk of getting diagnosed with this condition than others. These risk factors include
Those who are affected by depression
Even though this theory lacks scientific evidence but researchers told that the mental health conditions can contribute to this condition. People who are suffering from depression are more likely to develop this condition.
Those who are unable to quit smoking
People who are unable to stop smoking or who smoke daily are more likely to develop this condition and lots of research needed to be done to prove this point as it is lacking scientific evidence. It has been observed in research that the people who smoke repeatedly are unable to get relief from the symptoms of chronic pain syndrome.
Those who are overweight
Another study revealed that fifty percent of the people who are taking treatment to get relief from obese are also reporting mild to severe chronic pain. Researchers are not sure about this and they are assuming that it is due to people feeling extra stress as they gain weight.
Those who are female
Women are more likely to develop chronic pain more than men.
Those who are older than 65
As you grow older, the chances of getting diagnosed with chronic pain syndrome increases.
How to diagnose this condition?
In order to diagnose this condition, a doctor must know the medical history or previous health problem that the patient experienced in the past. Your physician may recommend some imaging tests like magnetic resonance imaging to determine the pain and where it is located. These tests provide the necessary information to the doctors and in some cases, a physician may also recommend blood tests to check for rheumatoid arthritis. It is advisable to give a brief description of the condition to the physician.
What are the treatment options for chronic pain syndrome?
There are many treatment options available to treat the condition. Your physician may recommend some medications to give you relief from the pain. These medications can be in the form of a
- steroids
- muscle relaxes
- antidepressants
- anti-inflammatories
In some cases, physiotherapy is required to increase the flexibility and the above medications are used to interrupt the pain signals. It has been observed in a study that biofeedback can be beneficial in easing muscle tension and other mental health problems. Following are the alternative methods to manage the chronic pain syndrome. These methods include
It has been observed in a study that fifty percent of the people who tried acupuncture are able to reduce their pain levels compared with the other people who haven’t tried this method.
Hypnosis
Another study revealed that seventy-one percent of the people who are suffering from irritable bowel syndrome are able to ease their symptoms after a course of hypnosis and the treatment effects continued after 5 years of the treatment.
Yoga
Doing yoga regularly helps the person to relax the muscles and to learn the techniques of deep breathing. It has been observed in research that the people who are doing yoga are relieved from the symptoms of mental health problems like anxiety and depression. It also results in improving the quality of a person’s life. Due to this reason, it is advised to attend some yoga classes when you are suffering from the mental health problems that come with chronic pain.
Conclusion
It will be difficult for a person to live life when they are suffering from chronic pain syndrome. But remember that you are not alone many people got affected by this condition and now leading their life by choosing the right course of action for their problem. Identifying the symptoms early and consulting a doctor can help the person to deal with chronic pain.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2936076/
- http://gut.bmj.com/content/52/11/1623.full
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4036643/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12529-016-9572-9
- https://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/07/44/2/Janke.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4912238/
Sirisha B 
Raju Ch