Chronic pain is defined as “pain lasting more than 12 weeks” compared to acute pain which occurs immediately when for example you touch a hot surface. This “warning pain” will disappear in a very short space of time once you have removed your hand from the hot surface. Whereas, chronic pain will last for in excess of three months and while the pain can vary in strength, in many cases the pain is always there.
Symptoms Of Chronic Pain
It is difficult to list individual symptoms of chronic pain because there are so many different ways in which it can impact a person’s life. However, some of the most common symptoms include:
- Shooting pains
- Burning sensation
- Aching sensation
- Acute soreness
- Stiffness
- Tightness of the muscles
The impact of chronic pain on a person’s life can also very significantly from:
- Minor restrictions
- Limited mobility
- Immobility
- Loss of overall independence
While chronic pain does tend to impact those in their later years, a British Medical Journal report confirmed that 14.3% of those aged between 18 and 25 suffer from chronic pain although this did increased to 62% for those aged over 75. We also know that chronic pain is more prevalent amongst the female population although quite why we have this anomaly is unclear.
How Does Chronic Pain Occur?
As pain is the common denominator with any injury, chronic pain can literally occur as a consequence of any type and any severity of injury. A simple injury such as a muscle strain to a broken arm could develop into chronic pain over time. Chronic pain is where the pain signals associated with an ongoing or an old injury remain in the system for weeks, months or even years. In many cases the original injury will seemingly have healed but this may have left behind an array of underlying issues resulting in chronic pain.
Different Types Of Diagnosed Chronic Pain
There have been great strides in the medical profession over the years and the introduction of an array of different chronic pain diagnosis. These include:
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome/Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Unfortunately this is an all too common syndrome which is caused by a “faulty” nervous system resulting in long-term chronic pain. It could be triggered by an array of relatively minor injuries such as:
- Broken bones
- Nerve damage
- Bruises
- Sprains
- Slips
- Trips
- Falls
- Soft tissue injuries
In layman’s terms, while the surgical procedure to treat these injuries may well appear to have been successful, damage to the nervous system is all too common. There may also be an array of symptoms such as swelling, excessive sweating, high levels of pain, extremely sensitive to touch as well as a severe burning pain. Like many chronic pain issues, this type of medical situation can emerge months or years down the line after the original injury has apparently “healed”.
Fibromyalgia
As if to further confirm the difficulty in diagnosing various chronic pain situations, the symptoms for fibromyalgia can vary significantly from person to person. They may include pain all over the body, extreme stiffness and extreme sensitivity to touch. This particular medical problem has been directly associated with sudden movements, heavy lifting as well as repetitive tasks such as typing without sufficient breaks.
Myofascial Pain
This particular pain targets the body’s soft tissue and will predominantly impact a single muscle or group of muscles. When you hear the symptoms, muscle pain, spasms and tenderness, many people will perhaps reconsider pursuing compensation for chronic pain they experience in later life. This type of pain tends to emanate from muscle, tendon or ligament problems relating to accidents or surgery.
The Impact Of Chronic Pain In Everyday Life
One of the more difficult aspects of chronic pain, and a diagnosis, is the fact that very often there is no physical evidence to suggest the individual is in pain. If somebody broke a leg then you can see the injury which will attract empathy but with chronic pain there is no obvious reason for the individual’s suffering. Indeed, even those who understand issues of chronic pain may not fully appreciate the mental strain this can put on a sufferer. The everyday challenges of mobility, maintaining a working life and getting out and about can drag many people down and depression is a major problem.
Claiming Chronic Pain Compensation
The traditional time limit when looking to claim personal injury compensation is three years. While this is extended where young children are involved, with the clock being reset when they turn 18 and able to claim up to their 21st birthday, it is also possible to extend this window of opportunity with chronic pain. The fact that very often the original injury has healed can to a certain extent mask the underlying reasons for the resulting long-term chronic pain. As a consequence, many people automatically assume that if they are diagnosed months or years after the original injury then their opportunity to claim chronic pain compensation has passed. This is not the case…..
If you are diagnosed with chronic pain which can be linked to a historic injury then the three-year window of opportunity is effectively reset from the time the injury was diagnosed. It may be a little more difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the chronic pain was a result of an historic injury but this is something the medical profession can help with. We know from previous cases that many work accidents and road accidents can result in significant and extremely painful/debilitating chronic pain further down the line. This may become more acute as the victim gets older but even that does not negate their legal right to pursue chronic pain compensation for any negligence.
