People with persistent pain often think of themselves as suffering from a specific ailment, whether it’s arthritis, back pain, migraines, or something else. But anyone who has experienced pain for several months or longer also happens to be among the millions of Americans with a condition known as chronic pain.
Some cases of chronic pain can be traced to a specific injury that has long since healed -- for example, an injury, a serious infection, or even a surgical incision. Other cases have no apparent cause -- no prior injury and an absence of underlying tissue damage.
Most pain subsides after an injury heals or an illness runs its course. But with chronic pain syndrome, pain can last for months and even years after the body heals. It can even occur when there’s no known trigger for the pain.
Even when these conditions improve (via medications or therapies), some people can still experience chronic pain. This type of pain is generally caused by a miscommunication between the brain and nervous system. (For
September 7, 2020 1.4K 7
