Chronic Pain

If you are someone who feels like they are always in pain, you may have a chronic pain disorder. Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts twelve weeks or more. While it is common to have pain after a trauma such as a car accident or a surgery, if it persists for an extended period of time there may be an underlying issue. Chronic pain doesn’t have to be constant either, but there must be frequency to it. Even people with common chronic pain disorders such as arthritis do not always experience non-stop pain.
There are multiple chronic pain disorders that you may experience and only a doctor can truly tell you if you do or not. They are also the only ones who can diagnose you. However, if you feel that you have spoken to a doctor that doesn’t take your concern seriously, it is perfectly acceptable to get a second opinion. While some disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis have tests that can be used to diagnose them, others such as fibromyalgia do not yet have a test to confirm or deny your doctor’s diagnosis.
Where your pain rests will heavily depend on what kind of chronic disorder you have. If you have chronic back pain, you may have a slipped disk or some type of structural deformity. You may also have spinal stenosis which narrows the spinal column, a fracture due to trauma or compression, or maybe even soft tissue damage. Back pain can affect as many as eight out of ten adults during their life, and this can occur at any age.
If you suffer from chronic headaches, you are likely dealing with a different disorder. It may be something as simple as repeatedly sleeping in the “wrong” position or possibly from eye strain. This may be due to an incorrect eye glass prescription, staring at a computer for too long, or having a wrong level of light while working.
There are even disorders which cause widespread pain. Fibromyalgia is a perfect example of this. Depression can also cause pain, as the psychological symptoms may present themselves in a physical manner. However, only your doctor will be able to tell you if it is something serious like cancer or MS. If not, come on into Wirth and see what we may be able to do to help you feel better in the face of chronic pain.