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Pediatric Chronic Pain Clinic

Understanding Pain

WHAT IS CHRONIC PAIN?

Chronic pain is different from acute pain.

  • Acute pain — like a pulled muscle, sprained ankle, or a deep cut — usually doesn’t last long. It may happen because of an injury or illness, and gets better as the injury heals.
  • Chronic pain occurs when pain does not go away even though an injury has healed or an illness has resolved. Treating chronic pain involves treating your body and your brain.

Make an appointment with your doctor if you have pain that has lasted for more than 3 months. This may be a sign of a chronic pain condition.

WHAT CAUSES CHRONIC PAIN?

Pain starts when nerves send signals to your brain to let you know you have an injury or illness. In the case of chronic pain, your body and brain continue to send and receive these signals, even though your injury has healed. In some cases, you may not have had an injury at all.

Understanding what triggers your pain can be key to helping you treat it.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR PAIN

Learning to manage your mood and stress is an important part of learning to manage chronic pain. Thoughts, emotions, and behaviors (e.g., exercise) can influence your pain symptoms.