Top 4 Questions About Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is too often a misunderstood or overlooked ailment. However, if you or a loved one suffer(s) from chronic pain, it may be beneficial to learn more about its effects, treatments, and causes.

What is Chronic Pain?

Officially, chronic pain is defined as a pain that lasts longer than 6 months. However, for many individuals it may have been going on much longer. It is also a very common ailment. In fact, it has been estimated that around one hundred million people in America suffer from chronic pain.

What Causes Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain does not necessarily have to be caused by ongoing physical injury. In fact, all it takes to have chronic pain is for the signals in your nervous system that transmit pain to remain active well after an injury/ailment. These signals can continue to make individuals feel pain for months or even years after the original cause has disappeared. In other cases, chronic pain may be caused by something ongoing such as an infection or an injury that is not fully healed.

What Are the Effects of Chronic Pain?

Besides causing mild to severe ongoing pain, chronic pain can have several other effects:

• Emotional Distress – Chronic pain can cause depression, anxiety, stress, and more.
• Inability to Get Good Sleep – Because the pain may make individual uncomfortable while lying in bed, chronic pain can cause difficulty sleeping.
• Fatigue – Individuals who suffer from chronic pain commonly complain about feeling tired.
• Weakened Immune System – In some cases, chronic pain can weaken the immune system which may lead to other complications.

What Treatments Options Are Available?

Although chronic pain may not be curable, treatment can usually help. Some common treatments include pain medication, surgery, electrical stimulation, and steroid injections. At Garden State Pain Control, we offer a variety of procedures that may help ease your pain. Some of these procedures include muscle injections and several surgery options.

If you or a loved one suffer from chronic pain, contact Garden State Pain Control today to make an appointment. Our doctors have years of experience diagnosing and treating all types of pain and they are ready to help you.