Chronic pain can wreak havoc on a person’s life and make it challenging for them to live normally. Many health conditions can cause chronic pain, but it is not always easy to reach a concrete diagnosis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 51.6 million people experienced chronic pain in 2021 alone. Ongoing research seeks to learn the underlying causes of chronic pain to help form new treatment approaches that offer true relief and allow sufferers to live more normal lives.
Chronic Pain Hits Some Harder Than Others
The pharmaceutical industry continues to research chronic pain conditions among the millions suffering in the United States. Studies have discovered disparities among specific groups, including the elderly, females, the unemployed, veterans, and the impoverished. These groups are typically under-served in the medical community. Care must be taken to help these people find relief and prevent chronic pain.
How Do Clinicians Diagnose Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain can be widespread or isolated to specific body areas. Advancements in diagnostics have led to faster discoveries and improved outcomes for debilitating pain.
Chronic Headaches
The World Health Organization reports tension-type headaches to be the most common among sufferers. Migraines are also debilitating.
Your doctor will first rule out conditions that can cause headaches, including neck and shoulder injuries, MS, dehydration, and chemical abnormalities. You may also need to schedule a visit to an optometrist.
CT scans check for vascular or musculoskeletal abnormalities that can cause chronic headaches. Your doctor may use CT scans or MRIs to check for any brain lesions.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is challenging to diagnose because it mimics other diseases, including MS. If you present with chronic, widespread pain, your doctor will order a series of blood tests, neurological testing, trigger point testing, and X-rays or MRIs. Around 4 million people have fibromyalgia.
Chronic Arthritis and Joint Pain
The wear and tear of the joints often causes joint pain. The primary way doctors diagnose this condition is through X-ray because it reveals the degree of joint damage. Rheumatoid conditions require bloodwork to check for antibodies. Sometimes, your doctor may use further imaging studies, including CT scans and MRIs.
Chronic Neuropathic Pain
Sometimes, the body’s nervous system becomes damaged and sends false pain signals. Neuropathic pain occurs when the nerves become overly stimulated. Nerve damage is often to blame, but brain conditions can also cause neuropathic pain.
MRIs and CT scans can pinpoint the causes of neuropathic pain. Your doctor may also employ conduction testing.
Pharmaceutical Laboratories Play a Significant Role in Chronic Pain Management
Pharmaceutical laboratories play a critical role in the development of chronic pain conditions. Medications bring welcome relief and are an integral part of pain management.
Opioid medications are highly effective at treating chronic pain, but they come with adverse side effects, including constipation, respiratory distress, depression, and addiction. Scientists are now working to create peptide-inspired molecular drugs that offer pain relief without the nasty side effects of traditional opioid drugs.
It can take years of research and development for laboratories to create new pain medications and bring them to trial. Laboratories that have the right lab equipment can employ expert pharmaceutical researchers to embark on finding the next cure for chronic pain. Researchers are hopeful the latest advancements in their studies will prove helpful in the development of new pain medications that offer the relief of opioids without the side effects. It will be interesting to see what the next decade brings to pain relief initiatives worldwide.
Current Research Is Leading to Chronic Pain Relief
As research continues, laboratories and the field of diagnostics are evolving rapidly. Research has led to many treatments that are helping people overcome their pain. With continued research, new medications will be brought to the forefront of an ever-evolving treatment approach to chronic pain conditions.
Article by Brittany Cotton
Published by International Pain Foundation, iPain Blog, Team iPain
