2007-01-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

Synonym(s): Pain - Chronic
Condensed from Pain: Hope Through Research

What is Chronic Pain?
While acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert you to possible injury and the need to take care of yourself, chronic pain is different. Chronic pain persists. Pain signals keep firing in the nervous system for weeks, months, even years. There may have been an initial mishap -- sprained back, serious infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain -- arthritis, cancer, ear infection, but some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage. Many chronic pain conditions affect older adults. Common chronic pain complaints include headache, low back pain, cancer pain, arthritis pain, neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to the peripheral nerves or to the central nervous system itself), psychogenic pain (pain not due to past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside or outside the nervous system).

Is there any treatment?

Medications, acupuncture, local electrical stimulation, and brain stimulation, as well as surgery, are some treatments for chronic pain. Some physicians use placebos, which in some cases has resulted in a lessening or elimination of pain. Psychotherapy, relaxation and medication therapies, biofeedback, and behavior modification may also be employed to treat chronic pain.

What is the prognosis?

Many people with chronic pain can be helped if they understand all the causes of pain and the many and varied steps that can be taken to undo what chronic pain has done. Scientists believe that advances in neuroscience will lead to more and better treatments for chronic pain in the years to come.

What research is being done?

Clinical investigators have tested chronic pain patients and found that they often have lower-than-normal levels of endorphins in their spinal fluid. Investigations of acupuncture include wiring the needles to stimulate nerve endings electrically (electroacupuncture), which some researchers believe activates endorphin systems. Other experiments with acupuncture have shown that there are higher levels of endorphins in cerebrospinal fluid following acupuncture. Investigators are studying the effect of stress on the experience of chronic pain. Chemists are synthesizing new analgesics and discovering painkilling virtues in drugs not normally prescribed for pain.

Select this link to view a list of studies currently seeking patients.

Organizations

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institutes of Health, DHHS
31 Center Drive, Room 5B-55
Bethesda, MD 20892
nidcrinfo@mail.nih.gov
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/
Tel: 301-496-4261

American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA)
P.O. Box 850
Rocklin, CA 95677-0850
ACPA@pacbell.net
http://www.theacpa.org/
Tel: 916-632-0922 800-533-3231
Fax: 916-632-3208

American Council for Headache Education
19 Mantua Road
Mt. Royal, NJ 08061
achehq@talley.com
http://www.achenet.org/
Tel: 856-423-0258 800-255-ACHE (255-2243)
Fax: 856-423-0082

National Headache Foundation
820 N. Orleans
Suite 217
Chicago, IL 60610-3132
info@headaches.org
http://www.headaches.org/
Tel: 312-274-2650 888-NHF-5552 (643-5552)
Fax: 312-640-9049

National Foundation for the Treatment of Pain
P.O. Box 70045
Houston, TX 77270
NFTPain@cwo.com
http://www.paincare.org/
Tel: 713-862-9332
Fax: 713-862-9346

Mayday Fund [For Pain Research]
c/o SPG
136 West 21st Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10011
mayday@maydayfund.org
http://www.painandhealth.org/
Tel: 212-366-6970
Fax: 212-366-6979

American Pain Foundation
201 North Charles Street
Suite 710
Baltimore, MD 21201-4111
info@painfoundation.org
http://www.painfoundation.org/
Tel: 888-615-PAIN (7246)
Fax: 410-385-1832

Arthritis Foundation
1330 West Peachtree Street
Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30309
help@arthritis.org
http://www.arthritis.org/
Tel: 800-568-4045 404-872-7100 404-965-7888
Fax: 404-872-0457

Related NINDS Publications and Information

Pain: Hope Through Research
Chronic pain information page compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Low Back Pain Fact Sheet
Back Pain information sheet compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

NINDS Peripheral Neuropathy Information Page
Peripheral Neuropathy information sheet compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

NINDS Trigeminal Neuralgia Information Page
Trigeminal Neuralgia (tic doloreaux) information compiled by NINDS, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

NINDS Central Pain Syndrome Information Page
Central Pain Syndrome information sheet compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

NINDS Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Information Page
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (also called Causalgia and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome) information page compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Fact Sheet
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (also called Causalgia and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome information page compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

NINDS Shingles Information Page
Shingles information page compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Shingles: Hope Through Research
An informational booklet on shingles compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Amid Ongoing Controversy, Researchers Find Opiates Relieve Chronic Pain From Nervous System Damage
May 2003 news summary on recent findings that opioid drugs can be effective in treating chronic pain.

Study Links Chronic Pain to Signals in the Brain
January 2003 news summary on proteins that play a role in chronic pain.

Neurobiology of Craniofacial/Deep Tissue Persistent Pain
Summary of symposium on Neurobiology of Craniofacial/Deep Tissue Persistent Pain held March 13-14, 2002.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/ Complex Regional Pain Syndromes (CRPS): State-of-the-Science
A workshop on Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/ Complex Regional Pain Syndromes (CRPS): State-of-the-Science, December 15, 2001.

NINDS Seeks Patients with Phantom Pain
Lay-language descriptions of new program announcements and clinical trials seeking patient volunteers.

Prepared by:
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892

NINDS health-related material is provided for information purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient's medical history.

All NINDS-prepared information is in the public domain and may be freely copied. Credit to the NINDS or the NIH is appreciated.

Last updated December 22, 2006

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