Chronic Pain (definition of)

Chronic pain is defined as persistent or recurrent pain continuing past the time of healing. It can be caused by a variety of conditions; some of the more common ones are arthritis, injury, neurological or joint disorders and auto-immune disease. Malignancies, and particularly, thoracic cancers like mesothelioma, are also known to be associated with chronic pain.

In some cases, chronic pain is benign, having no apparent physiological cause. The causes of this are not well understood by medical scientists, but current research suggests that it may be a general disorder of the central nervous system.

Psychological Pain

In addition to the constant physical agony, chronic pain sufferers also experience long and short-term physical and emotional problems. For understandable reasons, such patients have trouble sleeping, a poor appetite, mood swings as well as anxiety and depression. Family members are usually affected by this as well.

Pain Management

Pain management can be undertaken through the use of over-the-counter medications as well as prescriptions. When it comes to the there is always the risk of developing an addiction, and such medications must be administered very carefully. Alternative therapies include acupuncture, biofeedback, massage and chiropractic.