10.3 Acute Pain, Chronic Pain, and Musculoskeletal Disorders
10.3 Acute Pain, Chronic Pain, and Musculoskeletal Disorders
Acute pain, chronic pain, and common musculoskeletal disorders are reviewed in this section.
Acute Pain
Acute pain usually comes on suddenly and is caused by something specific like an injury or surgery. It lasts less than three months and usually goes away when there is no longer an underlying cause for the pain. Examples of acute pain include the following[1]:
- Surgery
- Broken bones
- Dental work
- Burns or cuts
- Labor and childbirth
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is pain that is ongoing and usually lasts longer than six months. This type of pain can continue even after the injury or illness that caused it has healed or gone away. Pain signals remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months, or years. Some people suffer chronic pain even when there is no past injury or apparent body damage. Chronic pain is linked to many conditions, including these conditions:
- Headache
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Nerve pain
- Back pain
- Fibromyalgia pain
People who have chronic pain can have physical effects that are stressful on the body. These include tense muscles, limited ability to move around, a lack of energy, and appetite changes. Emotional effects of chronic pain include depression, anger, anxiety, and fear of reinjury. Such a fear might limit a person’s ability to return to their regular work or leisure activities.[2]
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain all over the body (also referred to as widespread pain), sleep problems, fatigue, and often emotional and mental distress. People with fibromyalgia may be more sensitive to pain than people without fibromyalgia. This is called abnormal pain perception processing. Fibromyalgia affects about 4 million US adults, about 2% of the adult population. The cause of fibromyalgia is not known, but it can be effectively treated and managed.[3]
The most common symptoms of fibromyalgia are the following:
- Pain and stiffness all over the body
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Depression and anxiety
- Sleep problems
- Problems with thinking, memory, and concentration
- Headaches, including migraines
Other symptoms may present, including these symptoms:
- Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
- Pain in the face or jaw, including disorders of the jaw known as temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ)
- Digestive problems, such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and even irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
These are the known risk factors:
- Age. Fibromyalgia can affect people of all ages, including children. However, most people are diagnosed during middle age
- Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Clients diagnosed with lupus or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more likely to develop fibromyalgia
Other factors that have been weakly associated with onset of fibromyalgia are as follows:
- Sex. Women are twice as likely to have fibromyalgia as men
- Stressful or traumatic events, such as car accidents or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Repetitiv