Chronic pain

Chronic pain is described by the National Institutes of Health as follows: "Chronic pain persists. Pain signals keep firing in the nervous system for weeks, months, even years." Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients can experience chronic pain but it is the primary symptom of fibromyalgia. Lupus, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, shingles, and neuropathy are also conditions that have chronic pain.

Types of pain
According to location:
 * Arthralgia - joint pain
 * Myalgia - muscle pain
 * Neuropathic pain (neuralgia) - nerve pain
 * Headache and migraine
 * Abdominal pain

Abnormal pain processing:
 * Allodynia - normal sensations are painful, such as clothes touching the skin
 * Hyperalgesia - increased pain sensitivity (decreased pain tolerance)
 * Analgesia - absence of normal pain sensations

Symptom recognition

 * In the Canadian Consensus Criteria, pain is a required symptom for diagnosis. It requires that "there is a significant degree of myalgia. Pain can be experienced in the muscles, and/or joints, and is often widespread and migratory in nature. Often there are significant headaches of new type, pattern or severity."

Notable studies

 * 2019, Core outcome measures for chronic pain clinical trials: IMMPACT recommendations (Full text)


 * 2018, Association of sleep disorders, chronic pain, and fatigue with survival in patients with chronic kidney disease: A meta-analysis of clinical trials

Learn more

 * 2016, 23 Ways to Combat Pain Naturally By Increasing Your Opioids