Chronic pain is a condition that affects millions of people every year. In 2023, it impacted 24.3% of US-based adults. 8.5% of these adults had high-impact chronic pain, which heavily limited day-to-day activities.
Millions of people go through life with chronic pain, disrupting their sleep, work, and everyday lives. And because it’s not necessarily a visible illness, many still don’t understand what it is and the way it affects people.
This article examines chronic pain, including its primary categories, populations at higher risk, and available management approaches.
What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is a common condition that occurs when you experience pain in any part of your body that lasts for over three months. The pain can be continuous, or it can come and go. A report estimates that around 50 million Americans suffer from this condition, and many of them go through life without a proper diagnosis and pain management.
Experiencing pain for an extended period can take a toll not just on your physical health, but also on your mental health. In fact, people living with chronic pain are three times more susceptible to developing depression than those who are not.
What causes chronic pain?
According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, chronic pain can arise from different conditions, including but not limited to the following:
· Past surgery
· Old injuries
· Infection
· Nerve damage
· Arthritis
· Autoimmune conditions
· Cancer
What are the categories of chronic pain?
Chronic pain is categorized into six main categories:
1. Neuropathic pain: Also known as nerve pain, this is typically caused by diseases such as diabetes, shingles, multiple sclerosis (MS), and spinal cord injuries.
2. Nociceptive pain: Occurs when there is tissue injury from burns, contusions, sprains, and even postoperative conditions.
3. Musculoskeletal pain: A kind of pain that occurs in the muscles, bones, joints, and even soft tissues.
4. Inflammatory pain: This occurs when the immune system is activated due to injury, infection, or autoimmune conditions such as fibromyalgia and gout.
5. Psychogenic pain: This occurs due to psychological, emotional, and behavioral factors such as stress, trauma, or anxiety.
6. Mechanical pain: This occurs when there is damage or stress to bones, joints, discs, nerves, and meninges.
Who is at risk of developing chronic pain?
The following are at risk of developing chronic pain:
1. People who are older: As we grow older, the likelihood of developing disabling chronic pain increases.
2. Women: Women tend to be affected by chronic pain more frequently and more intensely than men.
3. People with adverse socioeconomic backgrounds: Those living in adverse socioeconomic circumstances tend to experience more chronic pain and more severe levels of it.
4. People who have a history of abuse, trauma, and interpersonal violence: Studies have shown that people who have a history of abuse or violence tend to have more chronic pain than those who don’t have such experiences.
How is chronic pain managed?
Although chronic pain has no cure, there are different ways to manage it. If you have chronic pain, your doctor may recommend a combination of the following pain management strategies for you to try to reduce your pain levels and live life fully:
· Make sustainable lifestyle changes, such as adopting sleep hygiene practices and eating a balanced diet.
· Adopting stress management strategies such as the mindfulness-based stress reduction program and other psychological therapies specifically for pain.
· Undergoing physical therapy and occupational therapy.
· Getting a therapeutic massage.
· Doing mindfulness meditation.
· Taking medications such as NSAIDs and muscle relaxers.
· Undergoing surgical and medical procedures, including steroid and botulinum toxin injections.
While managing chronic pain can be complex and challenging, it is important to remember that a personalized, holistic approach can greatly improve quality of life.
