Pain starts in the receptor nerve cells that are found beneath the skin and in organs throughout
the body. When sick, injured, or you are suffering from a condition that affects your nerves, these receptor cells will send messages along the nerve pathways to the spinal cord, which then carry the messages to the brain. Pain medicine can help reduce or block these messages before they reach your brain, therefore reducing or blocking the pain from being felt.
 
Pain can be anything from a slight bother, like a mild headache, to something more painful, like the chest pain that accompanies a heart attack. Pain is characterized as either acute or chronic. Acute pain, which is sudden sharp pain that lasts less than 6 months, also acts as a warning to your body when your health has been compromised.
 
Chronic pain can sometimes be acute, but it is is classified by one main factor, the pain is persistent and lasts longer than the usual recovery period. This type of pain can last up to three months or longer. With chronic pain the pain can be present all the time, and may come and go, it can also happen anywhere in your body.
 
Chronic pain is one of the costliest health problems in the United States today due to increased medical expenses, lost productivity, compensation payments, and legal charges all of which are some of the economic consequences of chronic pain.

When it comes to chronic pain, the pain can be there all the time or it may come and go,
depending how severe the pain is.
 
Chronic pain can interfere with your daily life and activities, such as working, having a social
life, and taking care of yourself or others. This could lead to depression, anxiety, and trouble
sleeping, which can all contribute to making your pain worse. This creates a cycle that could become very difficult to break on your own.

Chronic pain can come in many different forms and appear across the whole body. Common types of chronic pain include:
 
● Arthritis, or joint pain.
● Back pain.
● Neck pain.
● Cancer pain near a tumor.
● Headaches, including migraines.
● Testicular pain (orchialgia).
● Lasting pain in scar tissue.
● Muscle pain all over
● Neurogenic pain occurs when damage to the nerves or other parts of your nervous system.
 
Chronic pain differs from acute pain. Acute pain occurs when you get hurt, for example when experiencing a cut to your skin or a broken bone. It doesn’t last long and will go away after your body heals from what caused the pain. With chronic pain, however, this will continue long after you recover from an injury or illness. Sometimes it even can happen for no obvious reason.

Untreated pain has a massive impact on your quality of life and can have physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences. If not managed acute pain can result in immunological and neural changes, which can progress to chronic pain if left untreated. Clinical outcomes of untreated pain include increased risk of atelectasis, respiratory infection, myocardial ischemia, infarct or cardiac failure, and thromboembolic disease. A common outcome of untreated chronic pain includes impaired immunity, decreased mobility, decreased concentration, eating disorders, and sleep disturbances. 
 
To relieve chronic pain, your healthcare provider will first try to identify and treat the cause. But sometimes they may not be able to find the source. If that is the case they they will use a pain management strategy instead. It is possible to live a fulfilling life with chronic pain and we can help you get there.
 
Healthcare providers can treat chronic pain in many different ways. The approach your healthcare provider will take depends on many factors, including:
 
● The type of pain you have.
● The cause of your pain, if known what is the cause.
● Your age and overall health.
● The best treatment plans will use a variety of strategies, including medications, lifestyle changes, and therapy.
 
If you have chronic pain, it’s important to seek treatment for your mental health conditions. Having depression or anxiety can worsen your chronic pain. For example, if you have fatigue, depression, sleep changes, and decreased activity it can make your chronic pain worse.
 
If you feel you have chronic pain, reach out to our medical professionals here at True Health Medical, we can help you live a pain-free life again! We have convenient locations to serve you. For more information, please call us or book an appointment online. We serve patients from Gilbert AZ, Chandler AZ, Queen Creek AZ, Sun Lakes AZ, Mesa AZ, Sacaton AZ, and Apache Junction AZ.