Chronic pain can occur long after nerve and tissue damage has apparently healed. It is a problem caused by pain nerves incorrectly telling the brain that a severe injury is occurring. The result is severe pain without an injury to cause it. Nonetheless, the pain signals sent to the brain make the PAIN VERY REAL to the person experiencing it. Specific treatments are available.
Chronic pain is very unpleasant.
This results in severe mental stress and sometimes major behavioral changes or depression. These problems sometimes result in patients becoming so depressed that they are not able to go to work, carry on in family life, etc. This behavior can be an impediment to therapy and recovery. In these situations, behavior as well as pain treatment must become a focus of effective therapy. Certainly, pain is most often experienced as a result of injury and is treated by simply allowing the injured area to heal.