Understanding Chronic Pain
Everyone will experience pain from time to time in their life, whether it is from injuring a muscle, a cut on your hand or a hard bump on your head. Pain is the body's way of warning you about an injury, but once the injury heals, the pain disappears.
Chronic pain is different, and doctors usually define chronic pain as pain that lasts for three to six months or more. According to the American Pain Foundation chronic pain affects 42 – 50 million Americans.
Which conditions can cause chronic pain?
According to WebMD.com, some of the leading causes of chronic pain include arthritis, back problems, past injuries or surgeries, nerve damage, infections and fibromyalgia.
Everyone experiences pain from time to time—whether it's a pulled muscle, a scraped knee, or a bump on the head. In most cases, this pain is temporary and fades away as the body naturally heals.
But chronic pain is different. Chronic pain is typically defined as pain that lasts three to six months or longer, even after the original injury or cause has healed. Unlike acute pain, which serves as a warning signal, chronic pain can persist without any clear ongoing cause, significantly impacting quality of life and daily functioning.
Chronic pain not only affects physical health but can also impact mood, mobility, and overall well-being. That's why it's essential to manage it with care and compassion.