DISEASE SPECIFIC SYNDROMES

Arthritis

Arthritis is a joint disorder featuring inflammation. A joint is an area of the body where two different bones meet. A joint functions to move the body parts connected by its bones. Arthritis literally means inflammation of one or more joints.

Cancer Pain

Pain, which can be caused by the disease itself or by treatments, is common in people with cancer, although not all people with cancer will experience pain. Approximately 30% to 50% of people with cancer experience pain while undergoing treatment, and 70% to 90% of people with advanced cancer experience pain. 

Congenital and Developmental Disorders

Genetics may play a significant role in causing chronic pain. An individual may be born with problems of the spine, vertebrae, nerves and muscles or a combination that becomes progressively worse over time.

Diabetes

Diabetic neuropathy is a peripheral nerve disorder caused by diabetes or poor blood sugar control. The most common types of diabetic neuropathy result in problems with sensation in the feet. It can develop slowly after many years of diabetes or may occur early in the disease. The symptoms are numbness, pain, or tingling in the feet or lower legs.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis often causes very painful fractures, which can take many months to heal. In many cases, the pain starts to go away as the fracture heals. Most new fractures heal in approximately 3 months. Pain that continues after that is generally considered chronic pain. One cause of chronic pain is vertebral fractures. When a vertebra breaks, some people have no pain, while others have intense pain and muscle spasms that last long after the fracture has healed.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition.  The key symptom of CRPS is continuous, intense pain out of proportion to the severity of the injury, which gets worse rather than better over time. CRPS most often affects one of the arms, legs, hands, or feet.  Often the pain spreads to include the entire arm or leg.  

Rheumatological Disorders

Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects joints on both sides of the body in the hands and feet, as well as the hips, knees, and elbows. Without proper treatment, rheumatoid arthritis can become a chronic, disabling condition.