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Don’t become a statistic…
- Pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.
- An estimated 50 million Americans suffer from persistent pain each year, according to the American Pain Foundation.
- 1 in 3 Americans lose more than 20 hours of sleep each month due to pain, according to the American Alliance of Cancer Pain Initiatives (AACPI).
- Pain is the second leading cause of medically related work absenteeism, resulting in more than 50 million lost workdays each year, according to the American Pain Society.
Pain plays an important role in the body's defense system. But unlike acute pain, which subsides, chronic pain can interfere with your daily life, affect your relationships, prevent you from working and even lead to depression.
Chronic pain is the term for pain that lasts long after the initial injury has healed. Many doctors won’t consider pain “chronic” unless it has lasted for three to six months, and is interfering with your quality of life.
There are many potential causes of chronic pain, but pain risk factors may include genetic issues, physical conditions like obesity, recovery from a traumatic injury, or lifestyle factors like smoking or stress.
Chronic pain can affect anyone, regardless of age or background, and can occur in almost any part of the body. Knowing your particular type of pain can help determine the best pain management strategy for you.
What is chronic pain?
Pain that lasts for three months or longer is called chronic. Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong. It’s normal for you to have pain when you are injured or ill. But pain that lasts for weeks, months or years is not normal.
Chronic pain can occur anywhere in your body, commonly back and joints. It can range from being mild and annoying to being so bad that it gets in the way of your daily activities.
Anyone can have chronic pain. It’s more common in older adults, but it’s not a normal part of aging. Older adults are more likely to have long-term medical problems, such as diabetes or arthritis, which can lead to ongoing pain.
Why does chronic pain matter?
If you have pain for a long time, it can make you feel very tired and may lead to depression. It can get in the way of your usual social and physical activities. You may have so much pain that you can't go to work or school. The emotional upset may make your pain worse. Your body’s defense system (immune system) may get weak, leading to lots of infections and illnesses.
What causes chronic pain?
The cause of chronic pain is not always clear. It may occur because brain chemicals that usually stop pain after you get better from an illness or injury are not working right. Or, damaged nerves can cause the pain. Chronic pain also can occur without a known cause.
Am I at risk for chronic pain?
Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I middle-aged or older?
- Am I male?
- Do I have a family history of back pain?
- Do I have a previous back injury?
- Am I pregnant? A woman's back is significantly stressed by carrying a baby.
- Have I had compression fractures of the spine?
- Have I had previous back surgery?
- Have I had any back problems since birth (congenital spine problems).
The more frequently you answer “yes” to these questions, the greater your odds of developing chronic back pain. Discuss these answers with your doctor or a RedBrick Health Coach.
The way you live your life can also put you at risk for chronic pain:
- Having a high-risk job. People with jobs that require heavy lifting or strenuous physical activity are at greater risk for developing chronic pain.
- Stress. Chronic pain has been linked to both chronic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Smoking. Smokers are at greater risk for developing medical conditions that lead to the need for chronic pain management. They also are less likely to respond to pain management therapies.
What are the symptoms?
Common physical symptoms of chronic pain include:
- Mild to very bad pain that does not go away as expected
- Pain that is shooting, burning, aching or has an electrical feel to it
- Soreness, tightness or stiffness
- Limited mobility
Emotional effects include:
- Depression
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Fear of re-injury
Common chronic pain complaints include:
- Headache
- Low back pain
- Cancer pain
- Arthritis pain
- Neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to nerves)
- Psychogenic pain (pain not due to past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside)
Chronic pain may have originated with an initial trauma/injury or infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain. However, some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.
How is chronic pain diagnosed?
Diagnosing chronic pain takes time. Usually, there is no obvious cause of persistent pain, and generalized pain symptoms are common to a number of other diseases such as MS and lupus. Because of this, your doctor will likely perform tests and scans to rule out other potential causes before coming to a diagnosis of chronic pain. These tests usually include blood work, X-rays and neurological exams.
Your doctor may also ask about your past illnesses and your overall health. He or she may also ask you questions to check your mood and mental health and to see how well you are able to think, reason, and remember.
Diagnosing Back Pain
The causes of back pain can be complex. Some causes of back pain include accidents, muscle strains, and sports injuries. In addition to performing a complete history and physical exam for your back pain, your doctor may suggest one of the following diagnostic studies:
- X-rays, which can be used to provide detail of the bone structures in the spine and to check for instability (such as spondylolisthesis, see below), tumors, and fractures.
- CT scans, which can identify specific conditions, such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis.
- MRIscans, which can provide details about the backs' discs and nerve roots. MRI scans are most commonly used for pre-surgical planning.
- CT scans, which can identify specific conditions, such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis.
A number of other imaging and electrical studies may also be used to identify back problems, and some injections are used for diagnostic purposes as well as for pain relief.
How is it treated?
Doctors routinely prescribe medications and physical therapy to treat chronic pain. However, because pain is a subjective experience, the same treatment does not work for everybody.
You also can use home treatment for mild pain or pain that you have periodically. Exercising, getting enough sleep and eating healthy foods may help reduce chronic pain. Using over-the-counter pain medicines such as acetaminophen, aspirin or ibuprofen may also help. You may want to try complementary therapies such as massage and yoga.
Talk to your doctor if your pain does not go away or if it gets worse. You may need to try different treatments to find what works for you. Medicines you take by mouth, shots of numbing medicine, acupuncture, nerve stimulation and surgery are used for some types of chronic pain. It is important to make a clear treatment plan with your doctor. The best plan may include combining treatments.
Living with chronic pain can be hard. Counseling may help you cope. It can also help you deal with frustration, fear, anger, depression and anxiety.
The good news is that chronic pain often can be managed so that you can get on with your life and do your daily activities.
How can I prevent/manage my chronic pain?
Becoming more aware of your risk factors can give you an edge in avoiding future chronic pain. Preventive steps you can take include:
- Improve your health. Eat right and exercise to reach a healthy weight and become physically fit.
- Quit smoking. There are numerous health benefits to quitting, including the potential to avoid future chronic pain management.
- Manage your stress. Exercise, meditate or practice another form of stress relief.
- Seek help for mood disorders. If you have depression or anxiety, get help before your mood disorder leads to chronic pain.
- Be smart on the job. Take safety precautions to limit your risk of injury. That's part of why work safety issues are really.
Knowing more about why chronic pain occurs and how to keep it in check will help you live your life the way you want to.
Resources and tools
RedBrick Health866.261.7144
RedBrick Health, DTE Energy’s health management partner, offers confidential over-the-phone and online health coaching, such as the “Healthy Back”. A Health Coach can educate you about chronic pain, discuss the various treatment options and can help you establish a plan for managing or preventing chronic pain.
EAP 888.327.4347 or DTE Energy Affiliate Company employees call 800.969.6162
Chronic pain is commonly linked with depression. Contact an EAP representative confidentially.
Where to turn
American Chronic Pain Association
This agency educates the public (including families) about pain -- so that those in chronic pain can live more fully.
This group is dedicated to ensuring that all pain sufferers get adequate treatment for their pain.
This foundation provides an online educational and support community for persons in pain, their families, and physicians.
For people who suffer from a form of arthritis, this web site is a great resource.
Headache sufferers and headache doctors use this as foundation’s web site as a resource.
