Dr. Kumar

Persistence of pain even after full healing of an affected area after injury or ailment is known as chronic pain. Chronic pain can also occur due to an undiagnosed underlying condition within the body. Any form of pain which lasts for more than 6 months can be categorized as chronic pain. Chronic pain might be continuous or episodic, excruciating or mild, totally incapacitating or merely inconvenient.

Symptoms of Chronic Pain include:
1. Light to severe pain that keeps occurring from time to time and cannot be relieved easily.
2. Occurrence of pain that can be described as burning, shooting, aching or even, electrical.
3. Constant feelings of discomfort. This includes stiffness, tightness or soreness in the affected area.

Chronic pain usually does not occur alone and is often accompanied by other problems such as:
1. Lack of sleep
2. Fatigue
3. Weakened Immune System
4. Disability
5. Mood Swings that include depression, fear, hopelessness, anxiety, stress, irritability, etc.

Reasons behind it
There are a number of different factors that can cause chronic pain. Some of them are:

1. Aging: Common conditions associated with normal aging can have an effect on joints and bones, giving rise to chronic pain.
2. Incorrect treatment and improper healing: Bad diagnosis or incorrect medications or procedures may cause improper healing of injuries as well as damage to nerves leading to chronic pain.
3. Underlying disorders or diseases: Diseases are also capable of causing chronic pain. Conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia are some well-known diseases that cause chronic pain. However, persistent and chronic pain might occur due to sicknesses like multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS, stomach ulcers as well as gallbladder disease.

In most of the cases, the reasons behind chronic pain can be rather complex. Sometimes, even though the chronic pain begins with an illness or an injury, the ongoing pain is capable of developing into a psychological aspect even after the physical issues have been healed, thus making treatment tricky.

Treatment
Chronic pain is usually managed using a combination of physical therapy, medications and exercises, which helps in reducing the pain. Examples of pain relieving medications include ibuprofen and aspirin. Day-to-day activities can be performed only if this pain is adequately controlled. Additional techniques include:

1. Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): The target of this technique to address the nerves that are responsible for sending pain signals to the brain. This is achieved by placing the heated tip of a needle in a region which is extremely close to the nerve. The heat renders the nerve incapable of sending the pain signal.
2. Pain Shots: This is used to deliver medications to the exact site of the pain. Nerve blockers are also used to block signals from reaching the brain.
3. Alternative approach: These include acupuncture, massages and yoga along with other treatments from alternative medicine.

Achilles Tendon pain is an orthopedic condition that can originate from tears and ruptures to the AchillesTendon, which is known as one of the strongest and also the longest tendon in the human body. It is a band of tissues that decides the quality of your movements and motions to a great extent, as it connects the heel with the calf. Therefore, any injury to this tendon can decrease the strength and support to the muscles and create a painful situation. So how can you deal with this pain? Read on to know more.

• Rice Therapy: Rice is a commonly used term by orthopedic specialist. It refers to Rest, Ice, Compression with a bandage, and finally Elevation. The patient must take lots of rest as well as use ice packs to deal with the injury and acute pain. Finally, the area must be compressed with a bandage and kept elevated on cushions.
• Surgery: For very severe cases, the orthopedic specialist can recommend surgery as well. This kind of surgery aims at reattaching the displaced or ruptured tendon which may have reached such a fate through a sports or any other kind of injury. The doctor may also place your leg in a cast for a few weeks to keep it at complete rest. 
• Pain Medication: The doctor can also prescribe pain relievers that contain Ibuprofen as well as acetaminophen or even naproxen. These medicines should be taken in moderation as per the doctor's prescription. Usually, this kind of medication is taken only when unbearable pain is experienced by the patient.
• Thermotherapy or Heat Treatment: The use of heat for chronic pain or even pain that has been ailing for over 48 hours is known as thermotherapy. This therapy uses heating pads and hot water bottles to help relieve the pain. One must be careful while applying anything hot to the site of the injury. Use a towel to wrap the hot water bottle or heating pad so that there is no scalding or leaking on to the skin.
• Footwear: It is important to prevent continuous injury and pain to the already injured Achilles tendon. To do this, you must wear supportive and comfortable footwear that has heel lifts and other customized orthotics built into the shoes. 

Taking care of Achilles Tendon pain is a matter of taking various precautions and supportive actions that lead to better healing. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an orthopedist.