Patients are often frustrated when attempting to seek medical care for their chronic pain. They often find themselves without adequate care or have their complaints dismissed by physicians. They often bounce around from doctor to doctor never having an opportunity for a proper and complete evaluation. Find a doctor who you enjoy working with and who you feel understands your concerns. Because treating chronic pain requires many office visits you will have to find someone who you can express your concerns to and who in turn will respond appropriately.
One problem in treating chronic pain is that there is little known as to what causes this symptom. Acute pain occurs when an individual experiences an acute injury. The patient has symptoms of localized inflammation, and pain signals are subsequently sent to the brain. These signals cause changes within the central nervous system, and the brain in turn signals back to the body causing further symptoms such as muscle spasm. As healing progresses, the inflammation decreases, fewer pain signals are sent to the brain, and fewer symptoms are experienced by the patient.
Chronic pain is difficult to understand because it often occurs in the absence of any ongoing illness or disease. Chronic pain usually occurs following an acute injury, but for an unknown reason after the injured area has healed, there are continued pain signals sent to the brain. It is thought that in some patients, the body continues to receive signals similar to those sent at the time of the original injury. These signals become disabling, reminding the patient of the original injury.
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