Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is medically defined as pain that has lasted 6 months or longer. This constant or intermittent pain has often outlived its purpose, as it does not help the body to prevent injury. It is often more difficult to treat than acute pain. Expert physician care is generally necessary to treat any pain that has become chronic.

When opioids are used for prolonged periods drug tolerance, chemical dependency and even psychological addiction may occur. Chemical dependency is common among opioid users; however, psychological addiction is rare. Apparent drug tolerance to the pain-relieving effects of opioids may occur, but is usually associated with increasing progression of the underlying disease rather than an actual decrease in efficacy of the drug.

Chronic pain is essentially caused by the bombardment of the central nervous system (CNS) with nociceptive impulses, which causes changes in the neural response. The pain subsequently provokes changes in the behaviour of the patient, and the development of fear-avoidance strategies. As a result, the patient may also become physically atrophied and deconditioned. However, it is important to remember that chronic pain is multifactorial, involving psychological, physical and social factors.

There are various types of chronic pain- malignant and non-malignant. Cancer pain can be from the cancer itself and from treatment.

Non-malignant pain includes:
· arthritis,
· neuropathy/neuralgia,
· back pain from injury or disorders (cervical stenosis, degenerative disc disease, other disc disorders, etc),
· migraines and other types of headaches,
· abdominal pain from chronic pancreatitis,
· bowel disorders, etc;
· pelvic pain from various conditions (endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, etc);

and also diffuse conditions such as:
· fibromyalgia,
· reflex sympathetic dystrophy,
· lupus and other systemic autoimmune/connective tissue conditions,
· multiple sclerosis
· and some other neuromuscular conditions.

Chronic pain basically can be anywhere in the body, this is just a list of some of the conditions that affect people long term (usually longer than 6 months).

Understanding Chronic Pain: A Doctor Talks to His Patients Author: Robert T Cochran M.D. Description "This is a personal narrative, a record of my passage among victims of chronic pain and the discoveries that have come from those encounters. I write for physicians, nurses, therapists, and caregivers, but mostly, I write for you who suffer the disease...

The Pain Survival Guide: How to Reclaim Your Life (APA Lifetools) Author: Dennis C. Turk Description If you suffer from chronic pain, this proven 10-step program brings hope and relief, showing you how gradual changes in specific behaviors can lead to great improvements in your ability to cope. Psychologists Turk and Winters' recommendations are based on solid research that shows what works and on their success with thousands of patients...

Managing Life With Chronic Pain Author: Pendleton Wickersham Description A short guide to living well despite chronic pain, this book offers practical ways to deal with this common problem.

Curing Chronic Pain: Stories of Hope and Healing Author: Robert T. Cochran Jr. Description In 2004, Dr. Robert T. Cochran published Understanding Chronic Pain, a ground-breaking work exploring the links between pain, depression, childhood trauma, substance abuse, and bipolar disease. A companion to that work, Curing Chronic Pain demonstrates the advancements Cochran has made in successfully treating patients suffering from pain...

Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain Author: Pete Egoscue Description Pete Egoscue learned a lot about pain when, as a Marine officer, he was wounded in Vietnam. He segued from patient to physical therapist, and now runs a famous clinic in San Diego, where he claims he's helped 95 percent of his patients cure chronic pain--including Jack Nicklaus and Charles Barkley, whose athletic careers he helped prolong...

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2. About Fibromyalgia
3. EFT and Widespread Pain