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Last Updated: Aug 6th, 2008 - 09:50:39 |
NINDS Chronic Pain Information Page
While acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert you to possible injury and the need to take care of yourself, chronic pain is different. Chronic pain persists. Pain signals keep firing in the nervous system for weeks, months, even years.
The treatment of chest Pain
Chest pain can be one of the most difficult symptoms to interpret. But spending a few hours in the ER having your chest pain evaluated can bring you peace of mind, and may even save your life.
Screening and diagnosis of Chest Pain
Chest pain doesn't always signal a heart attack. But that's what emergency room doctors will test for first because it's potentially the most immediate threat to your life. They may also check for life-threatening lung conditions, such as pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection or a collapsed lung (pneumothorax), that can cause chest pain.
What may be the causes of chest Pain?
Chest pain is one of the most common reasons people call for emergency medical help. Every year emergency room doctors evaluate and treat millions of people for chest pain.
Fortunately, chest pain doesn't always signal a heart attack. Often chest pain is unrelated to any heart problem. But even if the chest pain you experience has nothing to do with your cardiovascular system, the problem may still be important ¡ª and worth the time spent in an emergency room to have your chest pain evaluated.
Managing Chronic Pain
Helen Dearman, 52, of Houston, had a broken back for more than a decade and didn't know it. After falling from a ski lift in Mt. Hood, Ore., when she was 23, Dearman was diagnosed with a broken left arm and thought that was her only injury. Her arm healed. But she developed excruciating back pain that made it hard to sleep and move around. "I worked as a teacher, so some doctors suggested that the problem was from standing on my feet all day," Dearman says. "Others told me it was all in my head. For years, I left doctors' offices feeling desperate for help."
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