Chronic Pain - Definitions and Management Options
Although the 1990's were officially the decade for the brain, the science and management relating to pain received a lot of attention. Chronic pain is difficult and expensive to treat. Many suffer difficulties with daily living, often feeling hopeless and depressed. They are also more likely to have other medical problems, to be unemployed, or to abuse alcohol or other drugs (Weisberg & Clavel 1999). Patients with these conditions are more demanding than their primary care providers, and they tend to be unhappy with their healthcare. Patients are frustrated by providers' inability to provide sufficient symptom relief and have few options if Best Rated CBD Oil in Sutton conventional treatments fail.
In all industrialized countries, pain symptoms are a
significant reason to seek medical care (Smith et. al. 2001). The prevalence of chronic
pain in the United States was estimated at 15% according to epidemiologic data
from NHANES-1, the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. These data have been confirmed by several Western European
authors (Smith et. al. 2001; Andersson and Bassols et. al. 1999; Bassols and
Bassols et. al. 1999) as well as Australia (Blyth, et. al. 2001). Chronic pain is a widespread problem that affects millions
in terms of their general health, mental and employment well-being, as well as
overall functioning. WHO 1992, p. 62.
According to the International Association for the Study
of Pain, pain is "an unpleasant sensory experience that is associated with
tissue damage or described as such" (NIH 1995). Although pain taxonomies
can vary, most authorities recognize three types of pain: chronic,
cancer-related and acute. Although chronic
nonmalignant pain can be caused by trauma, misuse, or other diseases, it is
primarily defined to mean pain that persists after a reasonable amount of
healing (NIH 1995).
Chronic pain is a physiological, learned, and
idiosyncratic reaction to noxious stimuli (Turk, Okifuji 1997; Weisberg, Clavel
1999; Ruoff 1999). Pain is a
learned response and one of the most complicated emotions. It is difficult to determine the cause of pain and to
quantify its intensity. There are no
objective biological indicators of pain. The best evidence is based upon a
patient's self-report and description. (Turk & Melzack 1992). There is no correlation between pain intensity, functional
abilities, and physical findings in chronic pain sufferers.
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