Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Chronic Pain
Pain is a signal from your nervous system that something may be wrong. It is an unpleasant feeling, such as a prick, tingle, sting, burn, or ache. Pain may be sharp or dull. You may feel pain in one area of your body or all over. Each person feels pain differently, even if the reason for the pain is the same.
Pain might be acute or chronic. The type of pain is based on how long and how often you have pain. Acute pain starts suddenly and goes away when the cause is treated or healed. This pain lets you know that you may be injured or have a problem you need to take care of. Chronic pain lasts longer than three months or the time in which you should have healed.
If you have chronic pain, it can occur most days or every day and may last for weeks, months, or even years. It can affect all aspects of daily life, including your mood and relationships. Treatment may not get rid of chronic pain, but it can help with your symptoms.
Sometimes, acute pain can become chronic pain. The original cause may have been an injury or infection, or you may have an ongoing cause of pain, such as arthritis or cancer. In some cases, there is no clear cause. Environmental factors and psychological factors such as mood and stress can make chronic pain worse.
Since people feel pain in different ways, two people could have the same issue, but each may have different symptoms. Chronic pain can occur anywhere in your body and may cause other symptoms such as fatigue, mood changes, or difficulty sleeping. If you have depression or stress, it may make chronic pain worse.
Many older adults have chronic pain. Women also report having more chronic pain than men, and they are at a greater risk for many pain conditions. Some people have two or more chronic pain conditions. You may be more likely to have chronic pain if you have certain medical conditions such as:
- Headaches or migraines
- Cancer
- Fibromyalgia
- Arthritis
- Nerve damage
- Back problems
Chronic pain lasts three months or longer or when pain continues after your body has healed. If the cause of your pain is unknown, your health care provider may:
- Ask you about your medical history
- Ask you to describe the pain and how it affects your life
- Do a physical exam
- Order blood tests or other medical tests
Chronic pain is not always curable, but treatments can help. Treatments may include medicines, including pain relievers. There are also non-drug treatments, such as acupuncture, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.
Depending on the cause of your pain and your symptoms, your provider may also recommend lifestyle changes which may include suggestions for:
- Improving mental health
- Managing stress
- Getting to and staying at a healthy weight
- Adding low-impact exercise
It sits within Brain and Nerves and Symptoms.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Chronic Pain
7,627 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Real-world Evidence of Cannabinoid for Observed Pain ReliefAssociação Pan-Americana Multidisciplinar de Endocanabinologia
- Combined and Aquatic Exercise in Chronic Low Back PainUniversity of Beira Interior
- The Effect of Quadratus Lumborum (QL) Block on the Incidence of Chronic Neuropathic Pain After Retroperitoneal Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy: A Study on Neuroinflammation and NeurophysiologyIndonesia University
- Feasibility and Acceptability of OLP-EXP in Chronic PainUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore
- Options for Pain Management Using Nonpharmacological StrategiesVA Office of Research and Development
- REDUCER-I: An Observational Study of the Neovasc Reducer™ SystemShockwave Medical, Inc.
Research already completed
- Arthroscopic Infrapatellar Fat Pad Release and Mesenchymal Stem Cell MobilizationAnkara City Hospital Bilkent
- Yoga, Education, and Nidra (YEN) for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study on Pain Modulation, Well-Being, and SleepUniversity of Central Florida
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- PainNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Treatments and Therapies
- Antidepressants: Another Weapon against Chronic PainMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Managing Pain: Moving beyond OpioidsNational Institutes of Health
- Non-Drug Pain Management: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
- Pain Relievers: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Stopping Pain Before It Turns ChronicHarvard Medical School
Living With
- Coping with Chronic PainAmerican Psychological Association
Related Issues
- Chronic Pain (For Employees)Office of Disability Employment Policy
- Chronic Pain and PTSDNational Center for PTSD
Statistics and Research
- Complementary Health Approaches for Chronic Pain: What the Science SaysNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Chronic PainNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Chronic Pain. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Chronic Pain, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.