Stanford University ~ Defining Chronic Pain

What is Chronic Pain?

Basically, as defined by Stanford University’s Dr. Sean Mackey, it meets the following criteria:

• Lasts longer than 3-6 month, or beyond the “expected” time of healing
• Serves NO physiological purpose
• Takes a toll on the individual and those in the sufferer’s life (from family members to society at large)
• It can be a symptom of another disease, but it can also be a disease in and of it’s own right
• The disease of Chronic Pain fundamentally alters our nervous system
• We’re learning that, like the disease of diabetes, Chronic Pain as a disease needs to be approached and managed as a chronic disease
• There are an estimated 100 million sufferers of chronic pain in the U.S. (a range that covers those who can self-manage at home and are still very functional to those who have a catastrophic level of pain)
• Costs are estimated to be over $ 1/2 a trillion per year in the U.S. (more than cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined)

(As explained in an excellent informative video found here.)

 

Stanford University’s Pain Medicine web-site also has a wealth of information on and resources for those living with Chronic Pain.