How is chronic pain treated?
To relieve chronic pain, healthcare providers first try to identify and treat the cause. But sometimes they can’t find the source. If so, they turn to treating, or managing, the pain. Healthcare providers treat chronic pain in many different ways. The approach depends on many factors, including: The type of pain you have. The cause of your pain, if known. Your age and overall health. The best treatment plans use a variety of strategies, including medications, lifestyle changes and therapies. If you have chronic pain and depression and/or anxiety, it’s important to seek treatment for your mental health condition(s) as well. Having depression or anxiety can make your chronic pain worse. For example, if you have depression, the fatigue, sleep changes and decreased activity it may cause can make your chronic pain worse.