Are you experiencing chronic pain? The difference between acute and chronic pain
Cecile is 75 years old. Every night, she wakes up at around 2 a.m. with intense pain in her body. She can’t fall back asleep until dawn. Sound familiar?
Frank is only 38 years old, but his experience is very similar. Since he got injured playing soccer, intense back pain keeps him awake for most of the night. He has tried many different types of therapies, but the pain doesn’t go away. Ring any bells?
Although the cause may be different in each case, Cecile and Frank may be suffering form the same disease: chronic pain. Pain is a sign of your body telling you something is wrong.
Under normal conditions, pain goes away quickly because the cause of pain is resolved. However, when you suffer from chronic pain, your body keeps suffering for a long time after the initial injury. Usually, doctors consider pain to be chronic when it continues for more than 3 months.
In this article, we explain:
- The differences between acute and chronic pain
- What is chronic pain? The symptoms
- Causes of chronic pain
- Consequences of chronic pain
- How is chronic pain diagnosed?
- How to treat chronic pain?
- Medicinal cannabis for combating chronic pain
Differences between acute and chronic pain
When you have an injury, the pain sensors located in that area of the body are activated, which sends an electrical signal to your brain. Your brain processes this signal and sends you the message that something is wrong.
Acute pain stops when the cause of the pain is resolved. With chronic pain, nerve signals keep going even after the initial cause of the pain has been resolved.
Chronic pain continues for long periods of time and is resistant to the majority of medical treatments, which can cause huge problems for the sufferer.
What is chronic pain? The symptoms
Chronic pain can range from mild to severe, constant or intermittent. It can also manifest itself in different ways such as stabbing or burning pain or stiffness, etc.
Sometimes pain is accompanied by other symptoms, which can include:
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty sleeping
- Mood changes
- Weakness
- Irritability, anxiety or depression
Causes of chronic pain
Chronic pain can start for no apparent reason. In older people, as is the case with Cecile, bones and joints can be affected by the natural aging process, often causing this problem. Rheumatoid arthritis, arthrosis (or osteoarthritis) and fibromyalgia are well-known diseases that mostly affect people over the age of 60.
But for many people, chronic pain starts following an injury, such is the case with Frank. Other common causes include:
- Nerve damage
- Injuries that have not healed properly
- Fomer surgeries
- Back issues
- Migraines and other headaches
- Diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, stomach ulcers, AIDS and swine vesicular disease.
You may also be interested in…
- How to cure the most common types of pain?
- Essential tips for preventing or managing back pain
Consequences of chronic pain
Fatigue, loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping generated by chronic pain can elevate your stress levels, which affects your daily life and mental health. Stress can also make pain worse, creating a vicious cycle.
When you have a serious injury, it is very common to feel depressed. This can also worsen the pain. The link between depression and pain is the reason why antidepressants are so often used as a treatment for chronic pain.
How is chronic pain diagnosed?
To obtain an accurate diagnosis for chronic pain, you will probably have to make several visits to your doctor so that they can carry out a number of tests.
Usually, doctors do as much research as they can to find the exact cause of the pain. The diagnosis process is as follows:
- Pain monitoring: your doctor may ask you to take note of the times when you feel pain, to what degree and which factors made it get worse or improve, etc.
- Psychological analysis: Your doctor may ask how you are feeling and whether you have been experiencing anxiety or depression. Don’t worry, this is a totally normal question. Chronic pain and depression have been linked and it is important that your doctor knows exactly what is going on with you so they can consider all the possible factors.
- Physical and neurological exams: your physical structure may be the reason for your pain, therefore, your doctor may ask for a test to examine your joints, posture or any other physical abnormality.
A complete neurological exam may also be requested to check your reflexes, identify any sensory difficulty like tingling or numbness and assess your coordination and balance.
- Blood test: a blood test may be requested to rule out other diseases that may be contributing to the chronic pain.
Some autoimmune disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, can be detected from a blood test. Other times, deficiencies or other chronic illnesses (like diabetes) may be causing the pain.
- Nerve testing and imaging: your doctor may request radiographies and magnetic resonance scans, which can reveal damage in the bones and surrounding tissue
Treatments: beyond painkillers
Combating chronic pain can take time, but it is possible. If it persists and doesn’t seem to be getting better, consult your doctor.
Once the problem has been diagnosed, treatment options can include medication, physical therapy, meditation, acupuncture and lifestyle changes, like stopping smoking.
Medicinal cannabis to combat chronic pain
Cannabis, also known as marijuana, hemp, weed, among others, is a plant from the Cannabaceae family. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized its significant therapeutic benefits and has suggested that it is not longer be classed as solely a psychoactive substance.
Currently, one of the main uses of medicinal cannabis is to treat chronic pain. Cannabis contains over 100 cannabinoids, or active components that are found in greater or smaller proportions, depending on the variety. The most common include cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Both CBD and THC affect the most important protection system in our bodies, the endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for ensuring all bodily functions are regulated correctly. This system plays a key role in pain management. It is believed that THC and CBD, together with other cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoid compounds, have synergistic effects that help with pain relief.
You may also like…
- ¿What is CBD?
- CBD vs. THC
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/cause-chronic-pain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5845915/
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocicepci%C3%B3n