Chronic pain (sometimes known as long-term pain or persistent pain) is pain that lasts for more than 3\u00a0months. Pain can be secondary to (caused by) an underlying condition (for example, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, endometriosis).\u00a0Chronic pain can also be primary. Chronic primary pain has no clear underlying condition or the pain (or its impact) appears to be out of proportion to any observable injury or disease.\u00a0 The mechanisms underlying chronic primary pain are only partially understood and the definitions are fairly new. All forms of pain can cause distress and disability, but these features are particularly prominent in presentations of chronic primary pain.\u00a0 Unfortunately painkillers don\u2019t work well for chronic non-cancer pain and can lead to considerable side effects, tolerance and addiction.<\/p>\n
Please book an appointment with a GP to discuss further if you are struggling with chronic pain.\u00a0 You may find it helpful to read the following leaflet before the appointment to help both you and the doctor to make the most of the appointment; see:<\/p>\n