Chronic Pain

Chronic pain represents a form of ailment which increasingly affects several people. Whilst acute pain can be usually traced to a defined cause and practically operates as the body’s warning system, the trigger of chronic pain can’t always be located so easily.

We speak of chronic pain when it lasts for more than half a year. Often, the original cause of pain no longer exists. Continuous or strong irritations can cause long-term damages in the nerve fibers, so that these nerves send out pain signals to the brain upon the slightest influence after a short while. Moreover, stress or phobias can be frequent triggers as well. Chronic pain can occur after open operations in the spinal column (the so-called post-nucleotomy syndrome) or after other operations, in cases of polyneuropathy (for example, diabetic polyneuropathy), Sudeck syndrome, in cases of strong wear of the spinal column in several stages as well as after radiation and injuries. After amputations, the so-called phantom pains can also appear.

Symptoms: The symptoms depend entirely on your individual situation and on your sensation. Whilst we can feel out other diseases or make them visible by means of an X-ray, chronic pain demand detailed conversations between doctor and patient. The more accurately you describe your pain, the better we can have a clear picture of your problem and develop a corresponding therapy for it.

Therapies: To appease chronic pain, a number of minimally invasive procedures, among other things, are used, such as spinal cord stimulation (pain pace-maker) and denervation. Additionally, we go after the actual causes of the problem. If, for instance, stress-conditioned problems occur, a more detailed, interdisciplinary treatment is recommended.