Chronic pain in general can have many different causes. When it comes to sports injuries, acute injuries like broken bones, sprains, or strains can cause chronic pain years later. You may develop muscle or joint pain at the site of your initial injury or in surrounding areas. Chronic pain often develops because you didn’t get proper treatment for the acute injury when it happened. “The typical injuries that we see are your chronic, inflammation-type injuries,” says Jessica Falvo, MEd, LAT, athletic trainer and team leader, UPMC Sports Medicine. “We see a lot of that with our older patients. Things that they thought were just nothing at the time, those little nothings compound to one decent-sized injury.” Overuse injuries like bursitis, tendonitis, or stress fractures can also lead to chronic pain — especially if you don’t let them heal properly. “A lot of times, it’s those little things that with a little bit of rest and maybe some exercises, it goes away for a little bit,” Falvo says. “They take a break, but then they try to jump right back into what they were doing. And then the same thing happens over and over again. It’s like a cycle until they really address the problem.” Chronic pain also can develop even if you did get treatment for your initial injury. For example, some people experience chronic pain after surgery.