Some chronic pain is related to old injuries or surgeries. But some is undefinable, having no apparent cause and no tissue damage that can be ascertained. It simply lingers for months and sometimes years, which may make the condition even more worrisome, because no treatment is apparent.
Even though there are painkilling drugs, they don’t work for more than 40 percent of people, according to the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Similarly, a 2011 Gallup-Healthways poll reported that more than one-third of Americans older than age 50 have chronic back, neck, leg or knee pain, and more than 20 percent aged 40 to 80 suffer from another type of pain. The rate of chronic pain seems to increase after age 25, and the number of those reporting the condition decreases slightly after age 60.
Even if pain medications work, some of them have significant side effects that can cause other problems if not monitored by a medical professional. Sometimes there’s even an increase in pain, and there’s a risk of drug tolerance, addiction (which can bring on withdrawal symptoms), anxiety and hyperalgesia, an increased sensitivity.
Chronic pain can be related to arthritis, lower back pain, multiple sclerosis, headaches, fibromyalgia, shingles, nerve damage and osteoarthritis, among other conditions.