About 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, defined as pain that lasts longer than six months. Chronic pain can be mild or excruciating, episodic or continuous, merely inconvenient or totally incapacitating.
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 and 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.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of chronic pain include:
- Mild to severe pain that does not go away
- Pain that may be described as shooting, burning, aching, or electrical
- Feeling of discomfort, soreness, tightness, or stiffness
Pain is not a symptom that exists alone. Other problems associated with pain can include:
- Fatigue
- Sleeplessness
- Withdrawal from activity and increased need to rest
- Weakened immune system
- Changes in mood including hopelessness, fear, depression, irritability, anxiety, and stress
- Disability
Causes:
The most common sources of pain stem from headaches, joint pain, pain from injury and backaches. Other kinds of chronic pain include tendinitis, sinus pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and pain affecting specific parts of the body, such as the shoulders, pelvis and neck. Generalized muscle or nerve pain can also develop into a chronic condition.
Chronic pain may originate with an initial trauma/injury or infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain. Some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.
The emotional toll of chronic pain also can make pain worse. Anxiety, stress, depression, anger and fatigue interact in complex ways with chronic pain and may decrease the body's production of natural painkillers; moreover, such negative feelings may increase the level of substances that amplify sensations of pain, causing a vicious cycle of pain for the person. Even the body's most basic defenses may be compromised. There is considerable evidence that unrelenting pain can suppress the immune system.
Treatments:
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.
If you’re experiencing chronic pain, see your healthcare provider immediately for treatment. If pain medications are being explored as a part of your treatment plan, then ask about how topical prescription pain medications can help. BioMed specializes in formulating powerful topical pain creams that are applied at the site of pain, avoiding the side effects commonly experienced with orally administered pain pills like NSAIDs and opioids.
BioMed’s Recommended Formulation:
Formulation | Ingredients: Description |
#8D Formula | DICLOFENAC: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) GABAPENTIN: Neuropathic pain reliever DMSO (Dimethyl sufloxide): Skin penetrant AMITRIPTYLINE: Pain reliever CYCLOBENZAPRINE: Skeletal muscle relaxant LIDOCAINE: Local anesthetic |
For more information:
1 - WebMD.com article, Chronic Pain Management:
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/understanding-pain-management-chronic-pain
2 - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NINDS Chronic Pain Information Page:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/chronic_pain/chronic_pain.htm
3 - American Chronic Pain Association, FAQ page:
https://theacpa.org/faqlisting.aspx