Therapy Toronto Psychotherapy Definitions

Therapist Match:

Sara Trought (the Danforth)

Chronic Pain

Pain that lasts longer than expected (typically 3 months) after the tissue has healed is called chronic pain. Chronic pain is a general category and there are many diagnoses used to describe the different types and locations of chronic pain.

Chronic pain is different from acute (short-term) pain in that the experience of pain usually no longer signals identifiable damage to your body. It is thought that chronic pain occurs as a result of alterations in the central nervous system whereby normally non-painful sensations are interpreted as pain. Chronic pain can be worsened by stress, anxiety and other negative emotions and often is accompanied by musculoskeletal changes, such as posture problems and muscle tension or guarding.

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