Causes of Chronic Pain Syndrome [CPS]

Chronic pain syndrome has so many root causes, it is easy to see why it can be so difficult to diagnose. As an example, I have suffered from this condition for several years.

My primary injury was to the small tendons in my elbow. I was already under reasonable stress, but managing well without the need for any stress medication.

Shortly after my injury, my neigbor started a new job which meant 3-4am starts for 3 or 4 nights a week. Her noisy car going up the hill beside my bedroom window would wake me. I could not go back to sleep, and even on the nights when she did not go to work, I would still wake up at 3am.

After repeated pleads for her to park her car up on the street for those nights where she was to start early, I became more incessed at her inconsideration, which only added more stress.

And then the real hell begain. After two years the elbow was still so painful I could not work, drive a car or manage simple tasks around the house. The financial impact of this started adding more stress. From that time, any additional injury I had - the pain would not shut off. As such I became a collector of pain points. All this inspite of my attempts to get well, relax and continue to move my life forward in a positive manner. When one is sleep deprived over an extended period, the health starts to deteriorate at multiple levels, and systems really go awry.

Various neuromuscular, reproductive, gastrointestinal, and urologic disorders may cause or contribute to chronic pain.

Sometimes multiple contributing factors may be present in a single patient.

Skeletal disorders

• Faulty or poor posture
• Fibromyalgia
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
• Mechanical low back pain
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoarthritis/degenerative joint disease/spondylosis
• Lyme disease
• Disk herniation/facet osteoarthropathy
• Fractures/compression fracture of lumbar vertebrae
• Reiter syndrome
• Chronic coccygeal pain

Muscular Disorders

• Muscular strains and sprains
• Pelvic floor myalgia (levator ani spasm)
• Piriformis syndrome
• Rectus tendon strain
• Hernias
• Abdominal wall myofascial pain [trigger points]
• Chronic overuse syndromes (eg, tendinitis, bursitis)

Neurological disorders

• Atypical facial pain
• Neuralgia
• Referred dental or temporomandibular joint pain
• Abdominal - epilepsy or migrane
• Spinal stenosis
• Brachial plexus traction injury
• Cervical radiculopathy
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Arachnoiditis
• Polymyositis
• Neoplasia of spinal cord or sacral nerve
• Cutaneous nerve entrapment in surgical scar
• Postherpetic neuralgia [shingles]
• Polyneuropathies
• Polyradiculoneuropathies
• Mononeuritis multiplex
• Headaches - Chronic daily, Muscle tension or Migraines
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
• Temporalis tendonitis
• Metabolic deficiency myalgias
• Sinusitis

Urologic Disorders

• Bladder neoplasm
• Chronic urinary tract infection
• Cystitus
• Urolithiasis
• Uninhibited bladder contractions (detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia)
• Urethral diverticulum
• Chronic urethral syndrome
• Urethral carbuncle
• Prostatitis
• Urethral stricture
• Testicular torsion
• Peyronie disease
  

Gastrointestinal disorders

• Chronic visceral pain syndrome
• Gastroesophageal reflux
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Pancreatitis
• Chronic intermittent bowel obstruction
• Colitis
• Chronic constipation
• Diverticular disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome

Reproductive Disorders [extrauterine]

• Endometriosis
• Adhesions
• Adnexal cysts
• Chronic ectopic pregnancy
• Chlamydial endometritis or salpingitis
• Endosalpingiosis
• Ovarian retention or remnant syndrome
• Ovarian dystrophy or ovulatory pain
• Pelvic congestion syndrome
• Postoperative peritoneal cysts
• Subacute salpingo-oophoritis
• Tuberculous salpingitis

Reproductive disorders (uterine)

• Adenomyosis
• Chronic endometritis
• Atypical dysmenorrhea or ovulatory pain
• Cervical stenosis
• Endometrial or cervical polyps
• Leiomyomata
• Genital prolapse
• IUD - Intrauterine contraceptive device

Psychological disorders

• Bipolar personality disorders
• Depression
• Porphyria
• Sleep disturbances

Other Causes

• Cardiovascular disease
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Chemotherapeutic, radiation, or surgical complications
  

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CHRONIC PAIN SYNDROME | Causes | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | After Care