Chronic Pain Syndrome [CPS]

Chronic pain syndrome consists of a variable but significant level of chronic, genuine neurologically based pain, along with anxiety, depression and anger.

Overall, CPS is a poorly defined condition, that tends towards describing ongoing pain lasting longer than 6 months, or a reasonable healing period following an injury or surgery. In chronic pain, the duration parameter is used arbitrarily.

Approximately 35% of Americans have some element of chronic pain, and approximately 50 million Americans are disabled partially or totally due to chronic pain. Chronic pain is reportedly more commonly in women.

The patho-physiology of CPS is widely believed to be a 'learned behavioral response' that begins with a single stimulus that causes pain. When this pain behavior then is rewarded, either externally or internally, the pain behavior is reinforced and then continues to occur without any stimulus. This is not saying that the patient is making up the pain, the pain is real. Rather is is suggesting that something in the messaging system of the body has gone array, and pain persists where it should not.

However, it should be noted that patients with several psychological syndromes such as major depression, somatization disorder, hypochondriasis, conversion disorder are more prone to developing CPS. This is likely to be because the body's messaging and nervous system is already in disarray, and the body's normal response to pain is interrupted.

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CHRONIC PAIN SYNDROME | Causes | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | After Care