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).

 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.
  
The prognosis for those suffering from Chronic Pain is promising:  Many 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 undue what chronic pain has done.

Depending upon its severity, pain might be treated in a number of ways. Symptomatic options for the treatment of pain might include one or more of the following:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), a such as Motrin or Aleve

• Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol)

• Narcotics (such as morphine or codeine)

• Localized anesthetic (a shot of a pain killer medicine into the area of the pain

• Nerve blocks (the blocking of a group of nerves with local anesthetics)

• Acupuncture

• Electrical stimulation

• Physical therapy

• Surgery

• Psychotherapy (talk therapy)

• Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing

• Biofeedback

What is chronic pain?

Chronic pain persists despite the fact that the injury has healed. Pain signals remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months, or years. Physical effects include tense muscles, limited mobility, a lack of energy, and changes in appetite. Emotional effects include depression, anger, anxiety, and 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)

What is acute pain?

Acute pain begins suddenly and is usually sharp in quality. It serves as a warning of disease or a threat to the body. Acute pain might be caused by many events or circumstances, including:

• Surgery

• Broken bones

• Trauma

• Dental work

• Burns or cuts

• Labor and childbirth