What We Treat
Chronic pain
Chronic pain is pain that lasts for over three months. The pain can be there all the time, or it may come and go. It can happen anywhere in your body.
The difference between Chronic Pain and Other pain
Chronic pain differs from another type of pain called acute pain. Acute pain happens when you get hurt, such as experiencing a simple cut to your skin or a broken bone. It doesn’t last long, and it goes away after your body heals from whatever caused the pain. In contrast, chronic pain continues long after you recover from an injury or illness. Sometimes it even happens for no obvious reason.
Where Chronic Pain Occurs:
Chronic pain can come in many different forms and appear across your body. Common types of chronic pain include:
- Back pain
- Neck Pain
- Arthritis or joint pain
- Headaches
- Lasting pain in scar tissue.
- Muscle pain
- Neurogenic pain, from damage to the nerves or other parts of the nervous system.
Chronic pain is a very common condition, and one of the most common reasons why someone seeks medical care.
What causes chronic pain?
Sometimes chronic pain has an obvious cause. You may have a long-lasting illness such as arthritis or cancer that can cause ongoing pain.
Injuries and diseases can also cause changes to your body that leave you more sensitive to pain. These changes can stay in place even after you’ve healed from the original injury or disease.
What does chronic pain feel like?
People suffering from chronic pain describe it as:
- Aching.
- Burning.
- Shooting.
- Squeezing.
- Stiffness.
- Stinging.
- Throbbing.
Chronic pain often leads to other symptoms and conditions, including: anxiety, depression, fatigue and insomnia.
Back Pain
Pain due to arthritis, trauma, or degeneration that affects the spine and surrounding tissues The spine is a vital structure that supports the body while providing enough flexibility for movement. The spine is divided into the neck (cervical area), middle back (thoracic area), and lower back (lumbar area). Areas that sustain a lot of twisting and bending, such as the lower back, are most likely to get injured. It is estimated that 80% of the population will have lower back pain, or lumbago, in their lifetime.
Neck Pain
Multiple factors may be involved in chronic neck pain, and these factors can vary from person to person. Chronic neck pain is often caused by a joint or disc problem in the neck. Any of the following can cause neck pain:
- Stenosis (narrowing) of your spinal column, or degeneration (breakdown) or inflammation of the discs in your neck
- Inflammation from a condition such as rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, or rotator cuff tendinitis
- A condition that affects neck to arm nerves, such as thoracic outlet syndrome or brachial neuritis
- A fracture of a neck bone that causes nerve damage
The underlying cause of neck pain is not always possible to identify. In such instances, the pain is still real and working with a pain management physician is a viable and good option
