Chronic pain is a persistent pain lasting a period of days, weeks or months and is often resistant to treatment. Chronic pain can be a sign of disease present in the body. The cause of the pain may be from an event such as a sprain or from a serious infection. Environmental and psychological factors can worsen the effects of chronic pain.

Acute pain is an alert from the body's nervous system that something is wrong (injury or disease) and if left untreated may lead to further complications. Chronic pain usually begins after an acute injury or disease and is a persistent sensation whereby pain signals in the nervous system continue firing for a period of weeks, months or years. The pain often lingers far beyond the normal course of natural healing.

There are many causes of chronic pain and the problem may have been triggered by an initialevent such as a sprained back in a sports game or a viral infection. Common injuries leading to chronic pain include: back, joint, neck and spinal injuries. Other causes of chronic pain may occur as a result of an ongoing condition such as arthritis, cancer, sciatica or shingles. Chronic pain typically affects older adults as the body's function deteriorates and its healing process slows down.

Common cause of chronic pain include:

• Arthritis
• Back pain
• Cancer
• Ear infections
• Fibromyalgia (a condition affecting the muscles and joints)
• Headaches (migraines)

Symptoms of chronic pain 

There are many symptoms associated with chronic pain and these will vary depending on what area of the body is affected. Common symptoms associated with chronic pain include:

• Pain that persists after illness or injury has healed
• Discomfort
• Sore, stiff or tight muscles and joints
• Fatigue
• Sleeping difficulty (pain can awaken people during the night or prevent them falling to sleep)
• Frequent illness or infection (due to a weakened immune system)
• Depression
• Stress and anxiety
• Mood changes
• Disability

Chronic pain is a signal that something is wrong and as such the underlying cause must be diagnosed rather than the pain itself. For effective treatment, chronic pain should be assessed and investigated by your GP as early as possible.

The GP will take a medical history and ask questions to find out how the pain may have developed. They may perform a physical examination to discover the location of the pain, its intensity and any factors that may relieve it (e.g. manipulations). Psychological factors such as a history of depression will also be taken into consideration.

If necessary, the GP will send you for blood tests or other diagnostic testing methods to determine the cause of your chronic pain. You may be referred to a specialist depending on the outcome of the tests.

*Source: GoToSee.co.uk

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