About 25% of people with chronic pain will go on to have a condition called chronic pain syndrome (CPS). That’s when people have symptoms beyond pain alone, like depression and anxiety, which interfere with their daily lives. CPS can be hard to treat, but it’s not impossible. A mix of treatments like counseling, physical therapy, and relaxation techniques can help relieve your pain and the other symptoms that come with it.
What Causes Chronic Pain Syndrome?
Doctors don’t know exactly what causes CPS. It often starts with an injury or painful condition such as:
- Arthritis and other joint problems
- Back pain
- Headaches
- Muscle strains and sprains
- Repetitive stress injuries, when the same movement over and over puts strain on a body part
- Fibromyalgia, a condition that causes muscle pain throughout the body
- Nerve damage
- Lyme disease
- Broken bones
- Cancer
- Acid reflux or ulcers
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Endometriosis, when tissue in the uterus grows outside of it
- Surgery
