Chronic pain is
defined by its length (more than six months) and
its resistance to conventional therapies. Acute pain is defined as 30 days or
less. If you have chronic pain, there is help. Chronic pain syndrome is
not the same as acute pain or recurrent acute pain. Acute pain is due to actual
or pending tissue damage. Its duration is short and its psychosocial consequences
are minimal. A person's perception of acute pain and behavior following the
onset of acute pain are commensurate with the inciting event. Acute pain
resolves as healing occurs.
This presentation
might be helpful in understanding the way pain mechanisms work in the
brain.
Working in conjunction with your physician is the best way to manage
your pain. Once pain sets in for an extended period of time, the brain loses
its equilibrium. People with chronic pain, a front region of the cortex mostly associated
with emotion "never shuts up," Techniques like hypnosis, biofeedback,
meditation, mental imagery and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) help quit the
brain and retrain it. Take a look at this presentation for an overview of how this
pain mechanisms work and can be altered.