Chronic pain affects millions of Americans, fundamentally altering daily life and creating challenges that extend far beyond physical discomfort. For those diagnosed with chronic pain syndrome, the persistent nature of the pain can lead to feelings of helplessness and frustration, especially when conventional treatments fail to provide lasting relief.
Many people living with chronic pain syndrome find themselves caught in a cycle of medication management that addresses symptoms but not underlying causes. This approach often comes with diminishing returns and concerning side effects over time.
Fortunately, chiropractic care offers an alternative perspective and treatment strategy that many patients find valuable in their journey toward better pain management and improved quality of life. Below, we take a closer look.
What Is Chronic Pain Syndrome?
Chronic pain syndrome (CPS) goes beyond ordinary pain that persists. While chronic pain is generally defined as pain lasting longer than three to six months, chronic pain syndrome encompasses the emotional and psychological impact that accompanies long-term pain. It involves not just the physical sensation of pain but also how that pain affects mental health, sleep, relationships, and overall functioning.
People with chronic pain syndrome often experience symptoms beyond pain itself, including:
- Fatigue and sleep disturbances
- Anxiety and depression
- Decreased mobility and physical function
- Withdrawal from social activities
- Reduced quality of life
- Dependence on pain medications
What makes chronic pain syndrome particularly challenging is that the pain often continues even after the original injury or condition has healed. The pain becomes its own condition requiring specific management approaches.
Why Does Chronic Pain Syndrome Develop?
At the physical level, unresolved injuries or ongoing conditions like arthritis create persistent pain signals. However, even more significant is the neurological rewiring that occurs with chronic pain. Over time, your nervous system becomes more sensitive, essentially “learning” pain and becoming more efficient at producing pain signals. This process, called central sensitization, means that even minor stimuli can trigger significant pain responses.
Inflammation plays another key role in chronic pain development. When inflammation persists, it creates a cascade of chemical signals that maintain pain sensitivity and can damage tissues over time.
Psychological factors also contribute substantially to chronic pain syndrome. The stress of dealing with ongoing pain activates your body’s fight-or-flight response, creating muscle tension and heightened sensitivity. This creates a feedback loop where pain causes stress, which then amplifies pain perception.
Additionally, the emotional impact of chronic pain—including anxiety, depression, and catastrophizing thoughts about pain—directly influences how your brain processes pain signals, often amplifying them further.
How Chiropractic Care Addresses Chronic Pain Syndrome
Chiropractic treatment offers several advantages when addressing chronic pain syndrome. Chiropractic care’s foundation lies in optimizing nervous system function through proper spinal alignment. Misalignments in the spine, known as subluxations, can irritate nerves and contribute to pain sensitivity throughout the body.
Specific spinal adjustments help restore normal motion to restricted joints and reduce pressure on nerves. This improved function may help interrupt the pain signaling patterns that have become established in chronic pain syndrome.
For many chronic pain patients, the original source of pain created compensatory movement patterns that themselves become sources of new pain. These dysfunctional movement patterns place abnormal stress on joints, muscles, and connective tissues.
Your chiropractor evaluates these biomechanical issues and develops treatment strategies to address them. By restoring proper joint function and movement patterns, chiropractic care helps reduce the ongoing physical stresses that contribute to pain maintenance.
Additionally, chronic inflammation contributes significantly to ongoing pain. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to positively influence inflammatory markers in the body, potentially helping to break the cycle of inflammation and pain. By improving joint function and nervous system communication, chiropractic care supports your body’s natural anti-inflammatory mechanisms. This approach addresses the root cause of pain rather than just masking symptoms.
Ready to uncover a new way to manage your pain? Your Montrose chiropractor at New Life Chiropractic offers compassionate and personalized care, ensuring you get the help you need and deserve. Book your appointment with our team today!
