Chronic Pain: Pain That Doesn’t Stop or Go Away

Chronic Pain Types
Chronic pain is placed into two categories.
These categories help physicians develop individually customized treatments because everyone and their pain type is unique and needs to be approached and treated uniquely. General forms of chronic pain are:Neuropathic pain
This is pain caused by damage to or malfunction of the nerves.Nociceptive pain
Nociceptors are receptors in the nervous system that are activated when an injury occurs. If there is no injury from outside of the nervous system, the nociceptors do not get activated. Therefore, nociceptive pain is caused by an injury to an area of the body that are not the nerves. With chronic pain, the nociceptors are still sending/relaying pain messages after the injury that created the pain has healed.
Neuropathic Pain
The peripheral nervous system includes all the nerves going to and from the spinal cord. These nerves send pain signals to the brain. If they get injured, neuropathic pain can develop. This is pain caused by injury to these nerves. The term peripheral neuropathy is another way of saying neuropathic pain. This comes from damage to the peripheral nervous system. Central nervous system injury/damage can also trigger neuropathic pain. Chronic neuropathic pain can be extremely challenging to treat because of the difficulty of finding where and how the nerves are damaged/injured.Nociceptive Pain
Nociceptive pain is caused by an injury or disease to an area of the body. It’s an injury or disease that stimulates the nociceptors. There are various types of chronic nociceptive pain:Somatic pain
Somatic pain comes from an injury/s that happen to the outer body like the:- Skin
- Muscles
- Ligaments
- Tendons
- Joints
- Bones
Muscle pain is also considered a form of somatic pain. However, chronic muscle pain is more than a strain. The muscles can go through chronic muscle spasms that cause them to become tense. Muscle overload can cause intense/constant pain throughout the body especially in the back. Muscle pain can also develop from chronic conditions, like fibromyalgia.
Visceral pain
The viscera are the internal organs specifically those in the abdomen and chest cavity. The stomach is a perfect example of a visceral organ. Not all of the organs have nociceptors, so cannot send pain signals if they are injured. In this type, a dull ache will be felt but could be difficult to pinpoint. Visceral pain can also present referred pain. This means that the brain is having difficulty calculating if the pain is coming from an organ or from another part of the body. An example is a kidney problem where the low back is in pain.
Figuring out what type of chronic pain is presenting can be a difficult process. As there are many types and trying to diagnose without any noticeable injury or disease is a challenge. Pain is a subjective experience that must be described in detail to a doctor or specialist. As long as the individual works together with a doctor then the best treatment option can be generated.

Visceral pain
The viscera are the internal organs specifically those in the abdomen and chest cavity. The stomach is a perfect example of a visceral organ. Not all of the organs have nociceptors, so cannot send pain signals if they are injured. In this type, a dull ache will be felt but could be difficult to pinpoint. Visceral pain can also present referred pain. This means that the brain is having difficulty calculating if the pain is coming from an organ or from another part of the body. An example is a kidney problem where the low back is in pain. Figuring out what type of chronic pain is presenting can be a difficult process. As there are many types and trying to diagnose without any noticeable injury or disease is a challenge. Pain is a subjective experience that must be described in detail to a doctor or specialist. As long as the individual works together with a doctor then the best treatment option can be generated.
Symptoms
It can take on many forms like:- Aches/Aching
- Burning sensation of pain
- An electric sensation of pain
- Sharp pain
- Shooting pain
- Soreness
- Stiffness
- Throbbing pain
- Tightness
- Sleeplessness
- Energy is drained
- Depression
- Withdraw from family friends activities normally enjoyed
- The immune system becomes weakened from a tremendous amount of body energy dealing with the pain

Proper Diagnosis
Obtaining a proper diagnosis of the cause of chronic pain is essential to creating the most optimal treatment plan. The severity and cause of chronic pain may require an individual to see various specialists in addition to the primary caregiver. These could be a:- Chiropractor
- Physical therapist
- Pain medicine specialist
- Orthopedic spine surgeon
- Neurosurgeon
- Physiatrist
- Rheumatologist

Treatment
Treatment and therapy options that could be offered are:Chiropractic
Depending on the diagnosis, a doctor could recommend chiropractic medicine. Two weeks of regular manipulation can generate significant improvement in individuals with chronic low back pain with referred leg pain.Physical Therapy
Stretching and strengthening the muscles is vital in the treatment of chronic pain. A physical therapist could include:- Ice
- Heat
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
- Ultrasound
- Myofascial release
- Stretching exercises
- Strengthening exercises