The Science Behind Chronic Pain—and How to Finally Get Re...

What’s Happening

Alright so These proven treatments can help.

When you strain your back or burn your arm, receptor cells send messages along your nerve pathways to your brain. This results in a feeling of pain, a signal from your body that you must tend to it; when you get better, the pain should subside. (wild, right?)

But for an estimated one in five American adults, pain remains a constant companion.

The Details

Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts at least three months, often persisting well after any original injury has resolved. In some cases the pain comes on without a known cause.

“Chronic pain is a physical and an emotional response not only to actual tissue damage but also to perceived tissue damage,” says Leena Mathew, M. , a pain management specialist at Columbia University Medical Center.

Why This Matters

Where it shows up Arthritis, migraines, and nervous system issues are common causes, but chronic pain can also be the result of long-term inflammation (a common symptom of, for example, long COVID ). And in 2016 the International Association for the Study of Pain recognized a new type of chronic pain, nociplastic pain, that arises from abnormal processing of pain signals system when there is no evidence of tissue damage or injury, says Shana Johnson, M. , a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist in Scottsdale, AZ.

Medical professionals are taking note of this development.

Key Takeaways

• Depression and anxiety can also contribute to chronic pain—and being in constant pain increases your risk for those conditions as well.
• Pain medications While opioids are often prescribed for acute pain, they are now generally not recommended for chronic pain, says Dr.
• Mathew (opioids are a leading cause of drug overdoses in the U.

The Bottom Line

Mathew (opioids are a leading cause of drug overdoses in the U. Beyond nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen, prescription anticonvulsants including gabapentin and pregabalin can reduce over­active pain signals being transmitted to the brain.

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