top of page
Writer's pictureDr. Noe Zamudio M.D.

Chronic Pain Syndrome

Updated: Sep 23, 2020



Chronic Pain Syndrome.

Pain is your body's normal reaction to an injury or illness, a warning that something is wrong. When your body heals, you usually stop hurting.

But for many people, pain continues long after its cause is gone. When it lasts for 3 to 6 months or more, it's called chronic pain. When you hurt day after day, it can take a toll on your emotional and physical health.

About 25% of people with chronic pain will go on to have a condition called chronic pain syndrome (CPS). That's when people have symptoms beyond pain alone, like depression and anxiety, which interfere with their daily lives.

CPS can be hard to treat, but it's not impossible.

Causes of Chronic Pain Syndrome:

Doctors don't know exactly what causes CPS. It often starts with an injury or painful condition such as:

The roots of CPS are both physical and mental. Some experts think that people with the condition have a problem with the system of nerves and glands that the body uses to handle stress. That makes them feel pain differently.

Other experts say CPS is a learned response. When you're in pain, you may start to repeat certain bad behaviors even after the pain is gone or has lessened.

CPS can affect people of all ages and both sexes, but it's most common in women. People with major depression and other mental health conditions are more likely to get CPS.

Symptoms:

CPS affects your physical health, your emotions, and even your social life over time. The pain can lead to other symptoms, such as:

Some people with CPS need to take more and more medicine to manage their pain, which can make them dependent on these drugs.

Diagnosis:

Your doctor will ask you about any illnesses or injuries that might have started the pain. Your doctor will also ask other questions to learn more about the type of pain you feel and how long you've had it:

  • When did the pain start?

  • Where on your body does it hurt?

  • What does the pain feel like? Is it throbbing, pounding, shooting, sharp, pinching, stinging, burning, etc.?

  • How severe is your pain on a scale of 1 to 10?

  • What seems to set off the pain or make it worse?

  • Have any treatments relieved it?

Imaging tests can show whether you have joint damage or other problems that cause pain:

  • X-ray. It uses radiation in low doses to make images of structures in your body.

  • CT, or computed tomography. It's a powerful X-ray that makes detailed pictures inside your body.

  • MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging. It uses magnets and radio waves to make pictures of organs and structures inside you.

Treatments:

You might need one or more of these treatments:

  • Prolotherapy

  • Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

  • Occupational therapy

  • Counseling, one-on-one or group therapy

  • Braces

  • Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or meditation

  • Biofeedback

  • Spinal cord stimulation

  • Nerve blocks

  • Physical therapy, including heat or cold on the part that hurts, massage, stretching exercises, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

  • Pain medicines such as NSAIDs, antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, and muscle relaxants

  • Surgery to treat the condition that caused the pain

If you want to treat your Chronic Pain with us, please give us a call and schedule an appointment. We will be glad to help you.

197 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comentarios


bottom of page