by Melissa J Luther

Created on: June 23, 2009   Last Updated: September 30, 2009

Chronic pain is a disease that is too often not diagnosed properly. It is persistent, debilitating and not always related to specific injury. Chronic pain may last for months or years and serves no apparent biological function.

> What Causes Chronic Pain <

Chronic pain often starts as acute pain, in response to a particular injury or illness, but lasts beyond the normal healing time. Sometimes treatment to cure one disease may lead to chronic pain in a completely different organ. For example, radiation to treat cancer affects all tissue near the tumor and may damage nerves, bones or other organs. Other times, the pain has no apparent cause at all.

Diagnosis can be difficult, as pain is usually considered a symptom of another condition rather than a disease in itself. When pain does not subside after successful treatment of its cause, or when there is no obvious cause, the pain itself becomes the disease.

When chronic pain is the result of a chronic illness, like fibromyalgia, arthritis or the progression of incurable cancer, it is more likely to be recognized and diagnosed correctly. In these cases, doctors are able to see the cause of the pain

In general, chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than three to six months, regardless of the cause.

> Current Treatment Options for Chronic Pain <

The longer pain lasts the better the nerves get at transmitting it, and the more sensitive the brain becomes to pain signals. Therefore, it is important to begin treatment quickly. Some doctors are wary of prescribing doses of pain medication that are larger than is considered "normal." Pain specialists are often better able to understand and treat chronic pain.

Common treatments for chronic pain include:

* Over-the-counter (OTC) Pain Relievers

If the pain is persistent but not severe, OTC medications like aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) may be sufficient to relieve the pain. Although OTC pain relievers are safe, long-term use does increase potential side effects. Patients should consult with a doctor before using OTC pain medications for more than a couple of weeks.

*Opioids

Several opioids, including morphine, codeine and oxycodone, are highly effective for chronic pain relief. Other opiods may not be appropriate to treat chronic pain.

Many patients are concerned about becoming addicted, and many doctors are reluctant to prescribe high opioid doses, but addiction is rare in patients who did not display addictive behavior

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