Unlike occasional pain, chronic pain is the type of pain that usually lasts at least 12 weeks. People experiencing chronic pain can feel an aching or a burning sensation in the affected area. The pain may come and go without apparent reason, and some may be intermittent or steady.
On the other hand, although it may be painful, normal pain alerts the nervous system that possible injury may occur. This pain will usually heal in no time at all. However, chronic pain will continually send pain signals to the brain even when an injury has already healed. As a result, chronic pain can reduce your endurance, flexibility, and mobility.
There are various treatments to help you relieve chronic pain and there’s also a guide to understand such pain. When you understand what chronic pain is, you can have the following treatment to relieve such pain:
- Exercise
- Stretching
- Over-the-counter drugs
- Prescription drugs
- Alternative therapies
When chronic pain persists, you may need to seek a doctor. That way, you’ll know why you feel this pain. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that chronic pain may result from the following conditions:
1.Rheumatoid Arthritis
One of the common causes of chronic pain is rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is a chronic inflammatory disease. It usually occurs in the small joints of the feet and hands, resulting in reduced flexibility and mobility in the affected joints.
If left untreated, RA can advance to the ankles, wrists, elbows, ankles, shoulders, and hips. Sometimes, RA even causes headaches if the first three vertebrae in the spine are affected. RA can also lead to extra friction and pain from formed bone spurs in damaged joints.
2.Osteoarthritis
Another type of arthritis-causing chronic pain is osteoarthritis. It’s a degenerative disease that’s related to the joint’s cartilage breakdown. The cartilage is a rubbery, firm material that cushions and covers the bones in joints. Its primary function is to absorb shock and reduce friction in the joints.
Due to osteoarthritis, the cartilage loses its elasticity and becomes stiff, making it more susceptible to damage. When the cartilage wears down, the ligaments and tendons will stretch because the cartilage can’t absorb the shock anymore. As a result, bones will rub with each other, causing pain.
There are many causes of osteoarthritis–ranging from obesity to heredity, injury, or joint overuse. All of which can affect the person’s joints, making them move with difficulty.
3. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Chronic inflammation affecting your digestive tract usually refers to IBD, which has two types, namely Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis. While Crohn’s disease is characterized by pain on your digestive tract’s deeper lining, ulcerative colitis is more on the sores and inflammation on the rectum and large intestine’s superficial lining (colon).
Aside from chronic pain, one can also experience weight loss, fatigue, rectal bleeding, and diarrhea on both types of IBD. Sometimes, one can even experience life-threatening complications. The cause of IBD remains unknown, but stress and diet are suspected factors that can aggravate it. However, possible causes of IBD include heredity and immune system malfunction, but there’s no known scientific proof for such.
4. Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia can cause chronic pain because it’s considered a long-term condition. A person suffering from this condition can have cognitive and sleep disturbances, general fatigue, and bone and muscle pains. Since fibromyalgia often mimics symptoms of other conditions, some people suffering from such illness have been misdiagnosed.
Symptoms of fibromyalgia include regions of pain wherein one feels a consistent dull ache. Another is when one experiences musculoskeletal (bones and muscles) pain in at least four regions of pain.
When one suffers from fibromyalgia, their nerves and brain often overreact or misinterpret normal pain signals. The cause for such may be due to dorsal root ganglion abnormality or a chemical imbalance in the brain. As a result, one’s energy level and emotions are affected.
Conclusion
There are still many conditions that can cause chronic pain, but the listed above are the most common causes. A person suffering from any of those conditions can feel pain now and then, which usually lasts more than three months.
When it comes to arthritis and fibromyalgia, the pain becomes a long-term condition. As for IBD, one can even experience a life-threatening situation. That’s why when you suffer from pain longer than necessary, you should immediately seek a doctor so you can detect the underlying cause.